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I was looking for a phrase that conveys the opposite meaning of leaps and bounds. For e.g,

unlike suiteM, which can be learnt in leaps and bound in just a day, the learning of suiteE occurs in bits and pieces.

The opposite of leaps and bounds would replace bits and pieces .

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    Are you trying to say fits and starts?
    – tchrist
    Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 10:37
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    @tchrist more like at a snails pace
    – lineage
    Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 12:06
  • 3
    How can you resist baby steps? Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 16:39
  • I find this a very ugly sentence — knowledge of a suite being increased in leaps and bounds. I’d rewrite it completely using the active voice to say something straightforward like “you can learn this quickly, or only learn it slowly and gradually”.
    – David
    Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 18:21
  • @David... Its definitely hard to digest...I just used it to compare and contrast a situation the phrase would be used in
    – lineage
    Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 19:11

2 Answers 2

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Dribs and drabs is an idiomatic way of expressing something that is doled out little by little over a period of time. It can be used as an antonym of leaps and bounds, which indicates swift, sudden, significant changes.

Example:

Attempting to learn programming by myself meant my skill was improving by dribs and drabs, but the crash course allowed me to improve by leaps and bounds.

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One definition of increment is c: a minute increase in quantity (MW).

So "increased in increments" or "increased incrementally." If you're trying to parallel the three-word phrase "leaps and bounds," these would be insufficient, but the meaning works.

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