Grade — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈgrād/

Meaning & Definition of Grade

Grade (noun)

  1. a level of study in an elementary, middle, or secondary school that is completed by a student during one year
  2. the students in the same year of study in elementary, middle, or secondary school
  3. a position in a scale of ranks or qualities

Grade (verb)

  1. to assign to a grade or assign a grade to
  2. to arrange in grades, sort
  3. to arrange in a scale or series

Grade (adjective)

  1. being, involving, or yielding domestic animals of improved but not pure stock

Grade (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an individual part of a process, series, or ranking

    "just one grade removed from completion"

    similar: chapter, cut, degree, inch, notch, peg, phase, place, point, stage, step
    related: angle, aspect, facet, side, amount, measure, plane, decrement, increment

  2. degree of excellence

    "only motor oil of the highest grade for his fancy sports car"

    similar: caliber, class, quality, rate
    related: hallmark, mark, footing, place, position, rank, standing, stature, status, benchmark, criterion, measure, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick

  3. one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic

    "there are various grades of wool to consider when selecting a fabric"

    similar: bracket, category, class, classification, division, family, genus, group, kind, league, order, rank(s), rubric, set, species, tier, type
    related: description, feather, ilk, kidney, like, manner, nature, sort, branch, section, speciality, specialty, subclass, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, variety, breed, race, generation, heading, label, title

  4. something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared

    "that painting just doesn't make the grade"

    similar: bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, mark, measure, metric, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick
    related: case, example, instance, average, norm, rule, acme, apex, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith
    near: aberration, abnormality, deviation

  5. the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon

    "the hill rises at a seven percent grade"

    similar: cant, diagonal, gradient, inclination, incline, lean, pitch, rake, slant, slope, upgrade
    related: ascent, bank, climb, rise
    near: declension, declination, decline, declivity, descent, dip, downgrade, fall, hang, hanging, receding

Grade (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to arrange or assign according to type

    "grade these apples extra fancy and those fancy"

    similar: assort, break down, categorize, class, classify, codify, compartment, compartmentalize, digest, distinguish, distribute, group, peg, place, range, rank, relegate, separate, sort, type
    related: array, dispose, draw up, marshal, order, organize, systematize, alphabetize, catalog, file, index, list, refer, pigeonhole, shelve, identify, recognize, cull, screen, set, sieve, sift, winnow, clump, cluster, colligate, recategorize, reclassify, regroup, subcategorize
    near: confuse, disarrange, jumble, lump, mix (up), scramble, misclassify, missort, mistype

  2. to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes

    "believe it or not, that music grades pretty high with young teens"

    similar: be, place, rank, rate, stand
    related: seed, count, categorize, class, classify, codify, compartmentalize, group, separate, set, sort, install, instate

Grade (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in half-bred

    similar: half-bred, cold-blooded, cross, crossbred, hybrid, mixed, mongrel, dihybrid, trihybrid, crossed, hybridized, interbred, outcrossed
    opposite: blooded, full-blood, full-blooded, purebred, thoroughbred, pedigreed, inbred, linebred, straightbred

Related Entry: Low-grade (adjective)

Low-grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for low-grade, not for grade.

  1. of low quality

    "plumbing fixtures that were made out of low-grade materials"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretched
    related: useless, valueless, worthless, indifferent, lackluster, second-class, brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank, tawdry, seedy, shabby, tacky, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch
    near: elegant, handsome, tasteful, handcrafted, polished, refined

Related Entry: Make the grade (phrase)

Make the grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for make the grade, not for grade.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "There were many applicants for the position, but only a few made the grade for an interview."

    similar: arrive, flourish, prosper, succeed, thrive, come into one's own, cut it, cut the mustard, get ahead, get somewhere, get there, hack it, hit it big, make good, make it, make one's mark
    related: prevail, triumph, win, excel
    opposite: fail
    near: flounder, struggle

Related Entry: High-grade (adjective)

High-grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for high-grade, not for grade.

  1. as in fine, valuable

    similar: costly, fancy, fine, precious, premium, prime, valuable, commercial, profitable, dear, expensive, extravagant, marketable, merchantable, salable, sellable
    opposite: nonsalable, unmarketable, unsalable, unsellable, damaged, shopworn, cheap, useless, worthless, bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory

Related Entry: Made the grade (phrase)

Made the grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for made the grade, not for grade.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "There were many applicants for the position, but only a few made the grade for an interview."

    similar: arrived, flourished, prospered, succeeded, thrived, came into one's own, cut it, cut the mustard, got ahead, got somewhere, got there, hacked it, hit it big, made good, made it, made one's mark
    related: prevailed, triumphed, won, excelled
    opposite: failed
    near: floundered, struggled

Related Entry: Makes the grade (phrase)

Makes the grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for makes the grade, not for grade.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "There were many applicants for the position, but only a few made the grade for an interview."

    similar: arrives, flourishes, prospers, succeeds, thrives, comes into one's own, cuts it, cuts the mustard, gets ahead, gets somewhere, gets there, hacks it, hits it big, makes good, makes it, makes one's mark
    related: prevails, triumphs, wins, excels
    opposite: fails
    near: flounders, struggles

Related Entry: Making the grade (phrase)

Making the grade is a different word from Grade. The synonyms below are for making the grade, not for grade.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "There were many applicants for the position, but only a few made the grade for an interview."

    similar: arriving, flourishing, prospering, succeeding, thriving, coming into one's own, cutting it, cutting the mustard, getting ahead, getting somewhere, getting there, hacking it, hitting it big, making good, making it, making one's mark
    related: prevailing, triumphing, winning, excelling
    opposite: failing
    near: floundering, struggling

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Grade

The most common words with a similar meaning to Grade:

chapter, cut, degree, inch, notch, peg, phase, place, point, stage, step, caliber, class, quality, rate, bracket, category, classification, division, family, genus, group, kind, league, order, rank(s), rubric, set, species, tier, type, bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, mark, measure, metric, par

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Grade

Words with the opposite meaning of Grade:

blooded, full-blood, full-blooded, purebred, thoroughbred, pedigreed, inbred, linebred, straightbred

Related Words for Grade

angle, aspect, facet, side, amount, plane, decrement, increment, hallmark, footing, position, standing, stature, status, description, feather, ilk, kidney, like, manner, nature, branch, section, speciality, specialty, subclass, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, variety

Near Antonyms of Grade

aberration, abnormality, deviation, declension, declination, decline, declivity, descent, dip, downgrade, fall, hang, hanging, receding, confuse, disarrange, jumble, lump, mix (up), scramble, misclassify, missort, mistype

Word Forms of Grade

Inflections: graded, grading

Derived words: gradeless (adjective), gradable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Grade

Latin gradus step, degree, from Latin gradi to step, go; akin to Lithuanian gridyti to go, wander

First known use: 1796

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Grade

Words & Phrases Containing Grade

-grade, grade crossing, grade inflation, grade point, grade point average, grade school, grade separation

Frequently Asked Questions about Grade

What does "Grade" mean?

"Grade" means a level of study in an elementary, middle, or secondary school that is completed by a student during one year. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a level of study in an elementary, middle, or secondary school that is completed by a student during one year. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Grade"?

Other words for "Grade" include chapter, cut, degree, inch, notch, peg, phase and place. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Grade" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Grade"?

There are 169 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Grade". Common alternatives include chapter, cut, degree, inch, notch, peg, phase, place, point and stage.

What is the opposite of "Grade"?

Antonyms of "Grade" include blooded, full-blood, full-blooded, purebred, thoroughbred, pedigreed, inbred and linebred. Near antonyms include aberration, abnormality, deviation and declension.

How do you use "Grade" in a sentence?

Examples of "Grade" in a sentence: "just one grade removed from completion"; "only motor oil of the highest grade for his fancy sports car"; "there are various grades of wool to consider when selecting a fabric".

Is "Grade" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Grade" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Grade" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Grade" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Grade"?

"Grade" is pronounced /ˈgrād/.