EN

Synonyms for progress

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

advance get on get along proceed

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Advance — to move, go, or proceed forward; to advance

advance, get on, get along, proceed, improve, move, move on, make headway, get ahead informal, go on, march on, come along, shape up, grow, go, pass on, mature

Other

evolve, build

Noun

1. Progression — specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth

progression, advancement, improvement, development, growth, increase, proficiency, procession

Other

build-up, race, career, work-up, course, flow, go-ahead, passage, lapse, come-on

Antonyms

stop, regress, stagnation

All antonyms of progress →

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To move, go, or proceed forward; to advance.

    Visitors progress through the museum at their own pace.

  2. n. 1

    Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth.

    Science has made extraordinary progress in the last fifty years.

Related words

Word family
progressist progression progressive progressivism progressivist
Phrases
in progress work in progress

Forms

Plural
progresses → progressions, advancements, improvements, developments…
Past participle
progressed
e.g. progressed → advanced, proceeded, improved, moved…

Choose the right word

Progress, Advance or Progression?

Advance admits the possibility of retreat; progress (L. Progress is more frequently used of abstractions; as, the progress of ideas; progression fixes the attention chiefly upon the act of moving forward.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • improve This app will help you improve your English level.
  • proceed Shall we proceed to the throne room, Your Majesty?
  • build It has taken forty-six years to build this temple.
  • evolve I think we can evolve from our tribalist impulses.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
progressfalling
improvesteady
proceedfalling
buildrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

2 letters
go1
4 letters
move1, race1, grow1, flow1
5 letters
build1, lapse1
6 letters
course1, career2, growth1, mature2, evolve2
7 letters
improve2, advance2, passage2, proceed2
8 letters
increase2
10 letters
procession3
11 letters
development4, improvement3, progression3, advancement3, proficiency4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (career2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
progresser
Italiano
progredire
Español
acrecentar
Català
progressar