Headway
What it means
Measurable forward progress on something difficult or slow.
Reach for it when recognizing movement toward a goal before the whole job is finished
The research group made headway after simplifying the sampling method.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when any movement toward improvement or completion is meant
Careful Progress covers more situations and may be too gradual to mark a distinct gain.
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warm
Fits when progress is gathering energy and likely to continue
Careful Momentum describes the rate of movement, not the ground already gained.
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professional
Fits when one discovery removes a major barrier
Careful A breakthrough is sudden and dramatic, unlike modest headway.
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professional
Fits when an effort has begun to win support or practical momentum
Careful Traction is business jargon and fits poorly when the gain is purely technical.
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formal
Fits when a distinct step moves knowledge or work forward
Careful Advance can imply novelty or strategic movement rather than steady problem solving.
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literary
inroad
Fits when the first meaningful penetration of a stubborn problem deserves notice
Careful Inroad often takes the plural and can sound adversarial in collaborative work.
Opposites 3
- stagnation
- regression
- standstill
Common phrases 3
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make headway
A smaller working group began to make headway on the backlog.
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significant headway
The negotiators reported significant headway before the evening recess.
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little headway
They made little headway until the missing records arrived.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Wodencafe, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated