Standard Lemma guide

bottom-up

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: B AA1 T AH0 M AH2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or relating to a hierarchical system that progresses from multiple small subunits to a single, large basic unit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or relating to a hierarchical system in which lower levels influence higher levels.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • bottom-up management

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

of an approach to a problem that begins with details and works up to the highest conceptual level

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bottom-up parser
  • a bottom-up model of the reading process

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: top-down

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 自下而上的 (zìxià'érshàng de) — hierarchical system that progresses from multiple, small subunits to a single, large basic unit
  • Japanese: 下意上達 (kai jōtatsu) — hierarchical system that progresses from multiple, small subunits to a single, large basic unit
  • Polish: oddolny — hierarchical system that progresses from multiple, small subunits to a single, large basic unit