(no subject)

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

Similar to my previous questions, can you comment on the differences between these words? I'm particularly curious, are "мало–помалу" and "понемножку" still used or are they archaic?

мало–помалу
понемножку
постепенно
потихоньку
все больше и больше

Are there other useful variants?

Comments

[merry1978.livejournal.com]

"понемножку" is actively used, it's not archaic at all, but rather colloquial. It means something like 'in driblets', 'in very small steps', etc. Literally it describes not time/action, but quantity (by small portions).

"мало-помалу" means more or less the same, but is more bookish, maybe archaic a little, and concerns only time.

"постепенно" means 'step by step'

"потихоньку" is also colloquial, also means 'in small steps', but the accent is on speed (smth. like 'in small steps and therefore slowly')

"все больше и больше" means 'more and more'

[mithrilian.livejournal.com]

постепенно does have the same root as step - e.g. степень :) but it does not mean step by step, but slowly - степенно. E.g. степенная походка = медленная походка.

[vovanium.livejournal.com]

Степенный not really means speed but mostly manner of walking.

[oryx_and_crake]

постепенно and степенно are two different words with different meanings.

[ybelov.livejournal.com]

These two have also colloquial variants:
понемножку - понемножечку
потихоньку - потихонечку

And here are synonyms:
понемногу
помаленьку
исподволь
понемножку
помалу
полегоньку
помаленечку
полегонечку
потихоньку-полегоньку
не сразу
капля за каплей
через час по чайной ложке
раз за разом
капля по капле
шаг за шагом
по капле

[trilbyhat.livejournal.com]

These are not really synonymic. Try them in the sentence "Мало-помалу путинский режим начинает приобретать черты коррумпированной азиатской диктатуры", and you'll see 80% of your list don't work.

[o-jovem-louco.livejournal.com]

Will you use 'исподволь' in your speech? I'm just curious, for, even being a native speaker, I don't know anything about its usage.

[ybelov.livejournal.com]

Yes, it seems to be a rare word nowadays. Here are definitions from dictionaries:

ИСПОДВОЛЬ нареч. помалу, помаленьку, не вдруг, не в раз, не круто, не торопом, легонько, постепенно южн. и зап. по воле. Исподволь и ольху согнешь, а вкруте и вяз переломишь. Исподволь и сырые дрова загораются. (Даль)

И'СПОДВОЛЬ, нареч. (разг). Понемногу, постепенно. И. стал заниматься приготовлением к отъезду. (Ушаков)

ИСПОДВОЛЬ, нареч. (разг.). Постепенно, понемногу. И. готовиться к чему-н. (Ожегов)

[vovanium.livejournal.com]

мало-помалу — usually means to doing something slowly, without much effort need to do it at once.
понемножку — that's just doing something slowly, for example, by small portions.
постепенно — means gradually, as opposite to at once, not slow.
потихоньку — generally a synonym to понемножку but originally refers to moving or tarvelling ('ехать тихо' -> 'ехать потихоньку'). Used not only with motion but with any action though.
всё больше и больше — gradually increasing (degree of...) in process, and still increasing. Used with sentences denoting (originating) state or rather than action: E.g. всё больше и больше краснел (gradually become red).

[lumberjan.livejournal.com]

I think, you are mistaken.

[atapask3.livejournal.com]

No, "короче bla-bla-bla" and "в общем bla-bla-bla" means that I don`t want to discribe or even don`t know the story, but totally is bla-bla-bla.