Definition of: progress

(prog′res, esp. Brit. prō′gres) noun
1. A moving forward in space; movement forward nearer a goal.
2. Advancement toward maturity or completion; gradual development, as of mankind or civilization; improvement.
3. A journey of state, as of a monarch.
—pro·gress (prə·gres′) v.i.
1. To move forward or onward.
2. To advance toward completion or fuller development. [<OF progres <L progressus, pp. of progredi go forward <pro- forward + gradi walk] Synonyms (noun): advance, advancement, attainment, development, growth, improvement, increase, proficiency, progression. Attainment, development, and proficiency are more absolute than the other words of the group, denoting some point of advantage or of comparative perfection reached by forward or onward movement; we speak of attainments in scholarship, proficiency in music or languages, the development of new powers or organs; proficiency includes the idea of skill. Advance denotes a forward movement or the point gained by forward movement; progress (Latin progredior, walk forward) is steady and constant forward movement, admitting of pause, but not of retreat. Compare ATTAIN. Antonyms: check, decline, delay, retreat, recession, retrogression, stay, stop, stoppage.