: done, made, or accomplished piece by piece or in a fragmentary way
piecemeal reforms in the system
Examples of piecemeal in a Sentence
Adverb
remodeled their house piecemeal because of budgetary constraints
one well-aimed blow ripped the piñata piecemeal
Adjective
They've done piecemeal repairs in the past, but the bridge now needs major reconstruction.
Some people want the changes to be made all at once, but I think we should take a more piecemeal approach.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
McCall, who has presided over the U.K.’s biggest commercial public service broadcaster (PSB) since 2018, is reportedly weighing up selling the media conglomerate, either in its entirety or piecemeal.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
But the huge demonstrations that greeted the president on his travels to the continent in his first term have been replaced by piecemeal protests more visible in kitchen cabinets than on city sidewalks.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
Enterprising indie producers generally are nimble, and many will buy piecemeal rather than buying in bulk, while others will race to acquire goods in the window before Trump changes course again.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
McCall, who has presided over the U.K.’s biggest commercial public service broadcaster (PSB) since 2018, is reportedly weighing up selling the media conglomerate, either in its entirety or piecemeal.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
But a few months into the session, the Democratic affordability agenda has taken a piecemeal approach rather than a cohesive one with bills focused on providing lunches in K-12 schools, providing parking for homeless students and reducing utility bills.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2025
But the huge demonstrations that greeted the president on his travels to the continent in his first term have been replaced by piecemeal protests more visible in kitchen cabinets than on city sidewalks.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piecemeal
Cite this Entry
“Piecemeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piecemeal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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