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pouco a pouco

[POH-koo ah POH-koo]
adverb
little by little; gradually; bit by bit
1. in small increments or stages over time; slowly and progressively
The patient improved little by little with treatment.
O paciente melhorou pouco a pouco com o tratamento.
2. at a slow pace; without hurrying
We built the house bit by bit over several years.
Construímos a casa pouco a pouco ao longo de vários anos.
NYC Slang
little by little; step by step
Synonyms
gradualmentelentamenteaos poucospasso a passopaulatinamentepouco a pouco
Antonyms
rapidamentedepressasubitamentede repentetudo de uma vez

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
pouco a pouco
Standard usage throughout Brazil
São Paulo
pouco a pouco
Common in formal and informal speech
Rio de Janeiro
pouco a pouco
Frequently used in everyday conversation
Portugal
pouco a pouco
Standard European Portuguese usage

Related Idioms & Phrases

aos poucos
passo a passo
gota a gota
dia a dia
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