Definition of "gradualism" []

• The belief in or the policy of advancing toward a goal by gradual, often slow stages. (noun)
• Biology The view that speciation proceeds by imperceptibly small, cumulative steps over long periods of time rather than by abrupt, major changes. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "For the catastrophists, the flood that they believe filled the tar pits with carcasses in one day gainsays the theory of evolution, which they call gradualism."
• "The whole history of the subject of "gradualism" is interesting."
• "I wonder how you arrived at the conclusion that gradualism is replaced by a goal-oriented approach?"