1. relating to or formed by accretion; growing or increasing by gradual addition of material
Usage: commonly used in geology and earth sciences
2. of or relating to an accretionary wedge or accretionary prism, a geological formation created by the accumulation of sediment and rock at a subduction zone
Usage: technical; geology

Examples

• The accretionary processes along the coastline gradually built up new land over centuries.
• Geologists studied the accretionary wedge formed where the oceanic plate meets the continental plate.
• The mountain range was created through accretionary tectonics and plate collision.
• Accretionary growth in the coral reef added layers of calcium carbonate each year.
• The accretionary disk around the black hole emits intense radiation as material spirals inward.