Progressiveness

Progressive Pro*gress"ive, a. [Cf. F. progressif.] [1913 Webster] 1. Moving forward; proceeding onward; advancing; evincing progress; increasing; as, progressive motion or course; -- opposed to {retrograde}. [1913 Webster]

2. Improving; as, art is in a progressive state. [1913 Webster]

3. (U. S. History) Of or pertaining to the Progressive party. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

4. Favoring improvement, change, progress, or reform, especially in a political context; -- used of people. Contrasted with {conservative}. [PJC]

Note: The term progressive is sometimes used to describe the views of a politician, where {liberal} might have been used at one time, in communities where the term liberal has come to connote extreme views. [PJC]

5. Disposed toward adopting new methods in government or education, holding tolerant and liberal ideas, and generally favoring improvement in civic life; -- of towns and communities. [PJC]

{Progressive euchre} or {Progressive whist}, a way of playing at card parties, by which after every game, the losers at the first table go to the last table, and the winners at all the tables, except the first, move up to the next table.

{Progressive muscular atrophy} (Med.), a nervous disorder characterized by continuous atrophy of the muscles. [1913 Webster] -- {Pro*gress"ive*ly}, adv. -- {Pro*gress"ive*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]