What does "degree" mean?
A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.)
Degree
/dɪˈɡɹiː/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.)
- Grammar: degree is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: grade, level, aa, ab.
- Useful contrasts: arcsecond, diploma, diplomas.
- Usage evidence: We all suffer from it to some degree.
How to use "degree"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "degree" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "degree" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "degree" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "degree" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "degree" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grade" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "degree", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.)
"She has two bachelor's degrees and is studying towards a master's degree."
- 2 a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality wordnet
- 3 A unit of measurement of angle equal to ¹⁄₃₆₀ of a circle's circumference.
"A right angle is a ninety-degree angle."
- 4 the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime) wordnet
- 5 A unit of measurement of temperature on any of several scales, such as Celsius or Fahrenheit.
"212 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to 100 degrees Celsius."
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 the highest power of a term or variable wordnet
- 7 The sum of the exponents of a term; the order of a polynomial.
"A quadratic polynomial is a polynomial of degree 2."
- 8 an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study wordnet
- 9 The dimensionality of a field extension.
"The set of complex numbers constitutes a field extension of degree 2 over the real numbers."
- 10 a measure for arcs and angles wordnet
- 11 The number of edges that a vertex takes part in; a valency.
- 12 a unit of temperature on a specified scale wordnet
- 13 The number of logical connectives in a formula.
- 14 a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process wordnet
- 15 The curvature of a circular arc, expressed as the angle subtended by a fixed length of arc or chord.
- 16 A unit of measurement of latitude and longitude which together identify a location on the Earth's surface.
- 17 Any of the stages (like positive, comparative, superlative, elative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb.
- 18 A step on a set of stairs; the rung of a ladder.
- 19 An individual step, or stage, in any process or scale of values.
"The chazzan-artist of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Eastern Europe where the chazzan reached the highest degree as an artist, casting from himself all those tasks historically associated with his office which drew him down to the station of beadle and servitor of the community."
- 20 A stage of rank or privilege; social standing.
"And they axed hym ſayinge: Maſter / we knowe that thou ſayest / and teacheſt ryght / nether conſidereſt thou eny mãnes degre / but teacheſt the waye of god truely."
- 21 A ‘step’ in genealogical descent.
"Louis created the École militaire in Paris in 1751, in which 500 scholarships were designated for noblemen able to prove four degrees of noble status."
- 22 One's relative state or experience; way, manner. archaic
"If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me."
- 23 The amount that an entity possesses a certain property; relative intensity, extent.
"To what degree do the two accounts of the accident concur?"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"We all suffer from it to some degree."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "degree"?
Common synonyms include: grade, level, aa, ab, academic degree, am.
How do you use "degree" in a sentence?
We all suffer from it to some degree.
How do you pronounce "degree"?
Pronounced /dɪˈɡɹiː/.
Etymology
From Middle English degre, borrowed from Old French degré (French: degré), itself from Latin gradus, with the prefix de-.