zero-basedhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zero-based_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezero-based, adj.
Revised 2018

zero-basedadjective

Originally U.S.
  1. 1963–
    (Of a budget or budgeting) having each item costed anew, rather than in relation to its size or status in the previous budget; cf. ZBB n.
    1. 1963
      Encouragement of the ‘zero-based’ budget and the other improvements being made in the city's budgetary process.
      Annual Rep. Government D.C., Fiscal Year 1962 i. 5/2
    2. 1983
      Sir Douglas Wass..proposed two specific changes... The first would be to introduce ‘zero-based budgeting’ to make spending departments consider their action if the money available to them were drastically cut.
      Financial Times 10 November 9/1
    3. 2013
      The Government had introduced a ‘zero-based’ approach to capital spending to ensure value for money for taxpayers.
      Journal (Newcastle) (Nexis) 10 July a14

Originally published as part of the entry for zero, n. & adj.

zero, n. & adj. was revised in June 2018.