What does "grade" mean?
A rating.
Grade
/ɡɹeɪd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rating.
- Grammar: grade is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: level, mark, score, academic cohort.
- Useful contrasts: unassessed, ungraded, no grade.
- Usage evidence: His essay gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, so it was a real surprise to him when he got the highest grade in the class.
How to use "grade"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "grade" 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 "grade" 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 "grade" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "grade" 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 "grade" is acting as noun, verb 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 "level" 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 "grade", 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 rating.
"This fine-grade coin from 1837 is worth a good amount."
- 2 a variety of cattle produced by crossbreeding with a superior breed wordnet
- 3 Performance on a test or other evaluation(s), expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score. Canada, Philippines, US
"He got a good grade on the test."
- 4 the gradient of a slope or road or other surface wordnet
- 5 A degree or level of something; a position within a scale; a degree of quality.
"There are a lot of varieties of diatomaceous earth, so when you are shopping, be sure to get the right stuff! Make sure that you get food grade diatomaceous earth. Some people make 3% of the food they eat be diatomaceous earth."
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality wordnet
- 7 Degree (any of the three stages (positive, comparative, superlative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb).
- 8 the height of the ground on which something stands wordnet
- 9 A slope (up or down) of a roadway or other passage
"The grade of this hill is more than 5 percent."
- 10 a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance) wordnet
- 11 A level of primary and secondary education. Canada, Philippines, US
"Clancy is entering the fifth grade this year."
- 12 a degree of ablaut wordnet
- 13 A student of a particular grade (used with the grade level). Canada
"The grade fives are on a field trip."
- 14 a body of students who are taught together wordnet
- 15 An area that has been flattened by a grader (construction machine).
- 16 one-hundredth of a right angle wordnet
- 17 The level of the ground.
"This material absorbs moisture and is probably not a good choice for use below grade."
- 18 a relative position or degree of value in a graded group wordnet
- 19 A gradian.
- 20 In a linear system of divisors on an n-dimensional variety, the number of free intersection points of n generic divisors.
- 21 A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating.
"The whistle of the shot as it cuts the leaves / Of the maples around the church’s eaves— / And the grade of hatchets, fiercely thrown, / On wigwam-log, and tree, and stone."
- 22 A taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity that is not a clade.
- 23 The degree of malignity of a tumor expressed on a scale.
- 24 An eyeglass prescription. Philippines
Verb
- 1 To assign scores to the components of an academic test, or to overall academic performance. Canada, US
- 2 determine the grade of or assign a grade to wordnet
- 3 To organize in grades.
"a graded reader"
- 4 assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation wordnet
- 5 To flatten, level, or smooth a large surface, especially with a grader.
"to grade land before building on it"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 assign a rank or rating to wordnet
- 7 To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out.
- 8 level to the right gradient wordnet
- 9 To increase or decrease the dimensions of a garment pattern from the initial base size in such a way that the overall proportions of the silhouette are maintained across all sizes.
- 10 To apply classifying labels to data (typically by a manual rather than automatic process).
"Brain scans were graded on a five-point scale of atrophy."
- 11 To describe, modify or inflect so as to classify as to degree.
"He has rightly observed that while -ísimo superlatives are typically prenominal, adjectives graded with the intensifier muy "very" are characteristically postnominal."
- 12 To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another. intransitive
"And there were circles even beyond these – […] humanity grading and drifting beyond the educated vision, until no earthly invitation can embrace it."
- 13 To pass from one school grade into the next. Canada, dated, intransitive
"I graded out of grade two and three and arrived in Miss Hanson's room."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"His essay gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, so it was a real surprise to him when he got the highest grade in the class."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "grade"?
Common synonyms include: level, mark, score, academic cohort, acclivity, adjective describing material properties.
How do you use "grade" in a sentence?
His essay gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, so it was a real surprise to him when he got the highest grade in the class.
How do you pronounce "grade"?
Pronounced /ɡɹeɪd/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French grade (“a grade, degree”), from Latin gradus (“a step, pace, degree”), from Proto-Italic *graðus, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰradʰ-, *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). Doublet of gradus. Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step, grade”), Bavarian Gritt (“step, stride”), Lithuanian gri̇̀diju (“to go, wander”).