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grade

grade

16 4.6
How steep a slope, road, or ground surface is
  • noun
  • /ɡreɪd/
translation icon : pendiente
  • There's a grade that leads to a hill and that hill leads down to the cliff.
  • a steep grade
  • percent grade

And for me, lighting in interior spaces below grade usually is why they feel so bad.

Examples

  • Drivers need to be cautious when navigating the winding road with a steep grade.

  • THE TRUCK MOVES HALFWAY UP THE GRADE where its rear wheels spin helplessly on the ice.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The road was a significant construction project, built over a 16 percent grade with ten switchbacks.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Outside the truck as it roars up the grade, rear tires catching on the salt.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Near the end of the ascent, the grade increased to nearly forty-five degrees.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Halfway to the waterfall, feeling the distance and the grade, I had a terrible sudden premonition.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • A pushy woman reporter in an ugly hat bustles up the grade, trailed by a photographer.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The hill is steep, with a grade that makes it challenging for cyclists.

  • The construction crew measured the grade of the slope to ensure proper drainage.

Synonyms

rise
vsgrade
125 2.4

A small upward slope in land or a surface

refers to the amount of slope rather than movement or height change
slope
vsgrade
  • Specialized
69 3.2

How much a line or surface tilts from flat ground

is the everyday word used for steepness of ground and roads
climb
vsgrade
45 1.4

A part of a road or path that goes up

measures how steep that road part is rather than the route itself
incline
vsgrade
19 4.2

A sloping surface that connects different levels

focuses on the measured steepness rather than the physical surface
slant
vsgrade
11 3.4

How much a surface goes up or down from flat

names the same tilt but is used more for ground steepness
gradient
vsgrade
  • Specialized
8 5.7

How steep a surface or road is

is the common term for how steep roads or ground are
ascent
vsgrade
6 4.2

A slope on a road or path that goes up

focuses on how steep the path is rather than the upward journey
pitch
vsgrade
  • Specialized
5 5.4

The slope of a roof, road, or surface

refers more generally to steepness of land or road surfaces
steepness
vsgrade
1 3.3

How quickly a hill or road goes up

is the usual term for that measured degree on roads and ground
rising slope
vsgrade
3.5

A slope that goes up

measures how steep that uphill area is rather than its direction

Antonyms

797 1.0

Level and even without parts higher or lower

1.0

Having a flat surface

Idioms

To reach the level needed to succeed

1 8.2

Something I do not have the responsibility or power to decide at work

Compounds

58 1.4

A school for young children in their first years of education

47 1.0

A school or college score that shows above average work

16 3.3

A number given for a course mark to calculate a student's average

15 3.7

A job level that sets how much pay an employee gets

A number that shows how well a student does in tests and classes, based on their marks

weapons-grade
  • Specialized
12 8.2

Material pure enough to make nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons

3 9.5

A very pure form of the radioactive metal plutonium used to make nuclear weapons

3 3.7

Of the highest quality, better than others like it

grade crossing
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A place where a road crosses train tracks at the same level with gates or signals

Made to be strong and last a long time for use in businesses or industry

1 7.0

An officer in the military ranked between captains and generals, such as major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel

1 6.5

An officer rank in the US Navy and Coast Guard above ensign and below lieutenant

grade grubber
  • Offensive
1 8.6

A student who often asks teachers for extra points to get high marks

grade separation
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A place where a road and a railway cross at different levels using a bridge or tunnel

1 4.1

Having lower rank or position in a workplace

weapons-grade
  • Informal
1 7.8

Being extremely strong and concentrated, used to describe coffee or glue

7.2

A V-shaped badge on a sleeve that shows a military person's rank and years of service

Right for a student's school grade and ability

grade-constructed
  • Specialized
7.7

Built at ground level, not above or below it

technical-grade
  • Specialized
6.7

A material that has small amounts of unwanted substances and is used in industry

technical grade
  • Specialized
6.0

A chemical that is pure enough for use in factories but has some impurities

thirteenth grade
  • Informal
6.8

An extra year at high school when a student does not move on

How Steep

cliff
438 1.0
grade
16 4.6
to slope
29 1.7
rise
125 2.4
plain
98 1.0

Surface Forms

grade singular
grades plural

Etymology

The sense of grade meaning slope or steepness comes from Latin gradus, 'step'. Builders and engineers use grade to measure how many 'steps' up or down a road or land is.