escalatory

American

[es-kuh-luh-tawr-ee] / ˈɛs kə ləˌtɔr i /

adjective

tending to escalate or increase by increments, especially in contexts of reciprocal aggression, hostility, or arms buildups.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“They want to maintain space up the escalatory ladder. They’re not going 100% immediately.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Officials agreed that while the EU needed to be ready to retaliate if necessary, the bloc wouldn’t be the one to take escalatory steps.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unlike clear-cut export controls, these disguised measures are harder to manage and pose escalatory risks.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I'm not so hopeful that a technical mechanism will really address the fundamental drivers of this escalatory cycle," he admitted.

From Barron's

“The United States has not really shown any desire to trigger any escalatory dynamics.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023