grade
grade
Pronunciation
grade: /ɡreɪd/
/ɡ/ - voiced velar stop
/reɪ/ - diphthong (often perceived as a single vowel sound in this context)
/d/ - voiced alveolar stop
Word Form Variations
Noun:
Singular: grade
Plural: grades
Verb:
Base form: grade
Third-person singular present: grades
Present participle: grading
Past tense: graded
Past participle: graded
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A specific level or rank in a hierarchical system, often indicating quality, achievement, or status.
Synonyms: rank, level, class, category, degree, standard
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific sense, as it describes a position within a system rather than an opposite of a position.)
A mark or score indicating the quality of a student's performance in an academic assessment.
Synonyms: mark, score, result, assessment
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; failure could be considered an opposite outcome to a good grade.)
A slight slope or incline, especially on a road or railway.
Synonyms: slope, incline, gradient, ramp, rise, fall
Antonyms: level, flat, plain
Verb
To evaluate or rate the quality, performance, or condition of something, often by assigning a mark or score.
Synonyms: evaluate, rate, assess, score, mark, appraise
Antonyms: overlook, ignore, disregard
To arrange or classify things into different levels or categories according to quality, size, or other criteria.
Synonyms: classify, sort, categorize, rank, group, segregate
Antonyms: mix, jumble, disorder, disorganize
To make a road or other surface level or with a particular slope.
Synonyms: level, smooth, even, flatten, slope
Antonyms: roughen, uneven, undulate
Examples of Use
Books:
"Hermione was always worried about her grades, meticulously reviewing every detail to ensure she scored perfectly on her exams." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
"The architect carefully calculated the grade of the road, ensuring proper drainage and safe passage for vehicles." (From a fictional engineering textbook)
Newspapers:
"The local school district announced new initiatives aimed at improving student grades across all subjects." (Nairobi News)
"Farmers are being urged to grade their produce more efficiently to meet international quality standards." (Daily Nation)
Online Publications:
"How to Get Good Grades in College: A Comprehensive Guide" (Forbes.com, Education Section)
"Analysts have downgraded the company's stock to a 'sell' grade following disappointing quarterly results." (Reuters.com, Business News)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Video Game: In many role-playing games (RPGs), players receive a "performance grade" at the end of a mission or level, such as 'S-rank', 'A-rank', or 'B-rank', indicating their efficiency and skill. (e.g., Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
Film Dialogue: "Look, I know your grades aren't great, but if you just apply yourself, I'm sure you can pass this class." (From a fictional teen drama film)
Music Review: "The album received a B+ grade from Pitchfork, praised for its innovative sound but criticized for lyrical inconsistencies." (Pitchfork.com review of a new album)
Online Streaming Service (User Interface): Many streaming platforms allow users to "rate" or "grade" content with stars or a thumbs-up/down system after watching. (e.g., Netflix, YouTube)
General Public Discourse:
"My son just moved up to second grade next year, he's so excited!" (Casual conversation between parents at a park)
"The construction crew is working on the final grade of the new highway before paving begins." (Local news report on infrastructure project)
"What grade of coffee beans do you prefer for your espresso?" (Discussion among coffee enthusiasts)
"They're installing a new security system that can grade the threat level of incoming data." (Workplace discussion in an IT department)
10 Famous Quotes Using Grade
"There is no royal road to geometry." (This quote, often attributed to Euclid in response to Ptolemy I's request for an easier path to learning, while not using "grade" directly, implies the necessity of going through every step or "grade" of understanding, rather than skipping to a higher level. It speaks to the rigorous progression of learning).
"The highest grade of a man is to be useful." (Henry Ward Beecher)
"I will not say, do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - While not using "grade," this quote speaks to the acceptance of all levels or "grades" of human emotion, even those traditionally seen as negative.)
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." (Samuel Johnson - This quote, though not using "grade," refers to a "measure" or "grade" of character.)
"I never said, 'I want to be rich.' I said, 'I want to be a success.' Success to me is having a good grade in life." (Waris Dirie, Desert Flower)
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again... who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic" speech - While lengthy, this famous quote inherently discusses different "grades" of effort and outcome in life's struggles.)
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." (Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan - This metaphorically speaks to different "grades" of perspective even within the same circumstances.)
"My grade in life is always a 'pass'." (A common idiom expressing resilience and a determination to succeed despite challenges.)
"The difference between a good and a great programmer is the ability to debug." (Often attributed to various tech leaders - This implies a distinction in "grade" or skill level.)
"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." (Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder - While not using "grade," this quote highlights the importance of fostering a particular "grade" or quality of perception.)
Etymology
The word "grade" has a really interesting origin that goes back to ancient Latin!
Imagine you're walking up a set of stairs. Each individual stair you step on – that's essentially the core idea behind "grade."
The word "grade" comes from the Latin word "gradus," which directly meant "a step," "a pace," or "a degree in a series." From "gradus," there was also the verb "gradior," meaning "to step," "to walk," or "to go."
When "grade" first appeared in the English language, primarily in the 16th century, its meaning was very close to these original Latin roots:
As a noun, its earliest meaning referred to a "step" or a "stage in a process." Think of it like a rung on a ladder or a specific point in a sequence of development or quality. For example, you might talk about "each grade of perfection."
As a verb, its initial meaning was "to arrange or classify in grades or degrees" or "to proceed by steps." So, if you were "grading" items, you were sorting them into different levels or qualities. If you were "grading" your progress, you were moving forward step by step.
Over centuries, the word evolved and expanded to cover more specific uses that still retain this sense of "level" or "step":
The slope of a road (how much it "steps" up or down).
A mark for academic performance (a "step" or level of achievement).
A particular quality or standard (like "prime grade beef").
So, every time you hear or use the word "grade," you're carrying forward an ancient idea of steps, levels, and progression!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Grade
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "grade," supplemented as needed:
Make the grade: To meet the required standard or achieve the expected level of success.
Top grade: Of the highest quality or excellence.
To grade on a curve: To adjust academic scores based on the overall performance of the class, rather than a fixed standard.
Pass/fail grade: A system of evaluation where performance is simply marked as satisfactory or unsatisfactory, without specific numerical scores.
At grade: (Often in engineering/construction) Referring to ground level or the finished level of an excavated or filled area.
Grade-level: Pertaining to the expected standard or curriculum for a particular year in school.
A grade above: Superior in quality or status.
To step up a grade: To improve one's performance or quality.
To take a grade: To descend a slope (often used in cycling or driving).
High-grade material: Referring to a substance of excellent quality or purity.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of grade from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
