gradation

noun

gra·​da·​tion grā-ˈdā-shən 

grə-

1

a

: a series forming successive stages

the gradations of evolutionary development

b

: a step or place in an ordered scale

2

: an advance by regular degrees

gradations of social progress

3

: a gradual passing from one tint or shade to another

4

: the act or process of grading

5

: ablaut

gradational

grā-ˈdā-sh(ə-)nəl 

grə-

adjective

gradationally adverb

Did you know?

In the Boy Scouts, gradations of rank move upward from Tenderfoot to Eagle Scout. A violin or a voice can produce gradations of musical pitch too small to appear in written music. In the 18th century Jonathan Swift could even write of "the several kinds and gradations of laughter, which ladies must daily practice by the looking-glass".

Examples of gradation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Gilbert, minute gradations of wealth are particularly visible in real estate: Is the neighborhood gated or not? —Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024

Details on when those gradations will take place can be found on the school’s website. —The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

These are sometimes organized in rainbow-like gradations but more often stretch across the picture in a manner that hints at landscape paintings. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024

Representing the two-hour intervals in which a mother nurses her newborn, the work consists of six nine-by-twelve-inch canvases, each with a single cast breast, in a gradation of blue to yellow. —Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see grade entry 1

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

gradation

noun

gra·​da·​tion grā-ˈdā-shən 

grə-

1

a

: a series of grades

b

: grade entry 2 sense 2

2

: the act or process of grading

gradational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

gradationally

-ē

adverb