What Does Cumulative Mean?

The word cumulative can have several meanings which more or less mean similar things or concepts.

It primarily means something being increased or enlarged by successive additions being made; it can also mean something acquired or gained as a result of accumulation, in banking it refers to the amount that gets added to the principal when the interest earned on it is not paid out.
Cumulative is also found in statistics and law. Cumulative sentence, cumulative evidence and cumulative punishment are all concepts found in law.

A synonym of the word cumulative can be accumulating and similar concepts are accruing and growing in effect and size. Decreasing and subtracting are common Antonyms.

An example of how the word is used in everyday speech: Though Roy failed in maths in two of the four terms his cumulative total let him clear the grade.

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