mindmap root((累积)) cumulative implies a constant increase （as in amount or power） by successive addition, accretion, or repetition: the ~ effect of taking a drug for many months. accumulative may distinctively imply that something has reached its maximum or greatest magnitude through many additions: the ~ impact of a well-ordered sales presentation. additive implies that something is capable of assimilation to or incorporation in something else OR of growth by additions: as new art forms arise, we develop an ~ notion of what art is. summative implies that something is capable of association or combination with others so as to create a total effect: the ~ effect of the show's music, dancing, and staging.