Rate — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈrāt/

Meaning & Definition of Rate

Rate (noun)

  1. a quantity, amount, or degree of something measured per unit of something else
  2. an amount of payment or charge based on another amount; specifically, the amount of premium per unit of insurance
  3. a charge, payment, or price fixed according to a ratio, scale, or standard

Rate (verb)

  1. to set an estimate on, value, esteem
  2. to determine or assign the relative rank or class of, grade
  3. to estimate the normal capacity or power of
  4. to rebuke angrily or violently
  5. to drive away by scolding
  6. to voice angry reprimands

Rate (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. degree of excellence

    "not being of the first rate, these apples are usually sold as food for livestock"

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

  2. the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things

    "the exchange rate was 10 pesos to the dollar when we visited Mexico"

    similar: proportion, ratio
    related: average, frequency, correspondence, percentage
    near: disproportion

Rate (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment)

    "how does a summer intern rate a new computer when I've been told to make do with this clunker?"

    similar: deserve, earn, merit
    related: entitle, qualify

  2. to make an approximate or tentative judgment regarding

    "nowadays most motorists would probably rate their cell phone as an essential piece of electronic equipment"

    similar: appraise, assess, estimate, evaluate, guesstimate, set, valuate, value
    related: adjudge, deem, judge, ascertain, determine, discover, learn, price, prize, decide, settle, analyze, assay, survey, test, reappraise, reassess, reevaluate, rejudge, revalue, transvaluate, transvalue, misesteem, misjudge, misprize, underestimate, undervalue

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

    "a restaurant that consistently rates high in all the standard categories"

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

  4. to think of in a particular way

    "I would rate her my best friend; after all, she's always been there when I needed her"

    similar: account, call, consider, count, esteem, hold, look (on or upon), reckon, regard, set down, view, take for
    related: believe, deem, feel, sense, think, conceive, fancy, imagine

  5. to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings

    "a tyrannical father who usually spent most of dinnertime rating his children on their alleged multitude of failings"

    similar: baste, bawl out, berate, call down, castigate, chastise, chew out, dress down, flay, hammer, jaw, keelhaul, lambaste, lecture, rag, rail (at or against), rant (at), ream (out), rebuke, reprimand, reproach, scold, score, tongue-lash, upbraid, lay into, read the riot act (to), take to task
    related: admonish, chide, remonstrate (with), reprove, abuse, assail, attack, bad-mouth, blame, blast, censure, condemn, criticize, crucify, denounce, dis (slang), excoriate, fault, harangue, knock, lace (into), lash, pan, reprehend, revile, scourge, slam, vituperate, belittle, disparage, mock, put down, ridicule, scoff, scorn
    near: approve, endorse, sanction, extol, laud, praise

Related Entry: Cut-rate (adjective)

Cut-rate is a different word from Rate. The synonyms below are for cut-rate, not for rate.

  1. costing little

    "opted for a cut-rate insurance policy because we didn't need anything more"

    similar: affordable, bargain-basement, budget, cheap, cheapie, cheapo, chintzy, cut-price (chiefly British), dime-store, dirt cheap, el cheapo, inexpensive, low, low-end, popular, reasonable
    related: cheapish, moderate, discount, discounted, fire-sale, lowered, reduced, wholesale, valueless, worthless, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: costly, dear, deluxe, expensive, high, high-ticket, precious, premium, pricey, spendy (chiefly Northwest), valuable
    near: increased, inflated, exorbitant, extravagant, overpriced, prohibitive, prohibitory, steep, stiff, superexpensive, ultraexpensive, unreasonable, invaluable, priceless, luxurious

  2. of low quality

    "a cut-rate motel that looked like the kind at which people in horror movies always end up"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, 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: First-rate (adjective)

First-rate is a different word from Rate. The synonyms below are for first-rate, not for rate.

  1. of the very best kind

    "wanted a first-rate bike and not the cheap model she had been using"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Related Entry: Second-rate (adjective)

Second-rate is a different word from Rate. The synonyms below are for second-rate, not for rate.

  1. of average to below average quality

    "a second-rate song from a songwriter who has done much better"

    similar: common, fair, indifferent, mediocre, medium, middling, ordinary, passable, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-class, so-so
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, alright, decent, OK, reasonable, satisfactory, sufficient, sufficing, tolerable, moderate, modest, presentable, respectable, minimal, unexceptional, fine, good, nice
    near: A1, capital, choice, classic, distinguished, excellent, exceptional, exquisite, fabulous, fantastic, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous, matchless, maximum, nifty, number one, optimal, optimum, outstanding, par excellence, peerless, preeminent, prime, sensational, special, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supreme, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

  2. of little or less value or merit

    "a second-rate company that was never considered among the top manufacturers of televisions"

    similar: inferior, mean, minor, second-class, secondary
    related: junior, lesser, lower, low-level, petty, smaller, subordinate, under, average, common, fair, middling, ordinary, amiss, bad, defective, unsatisfactory, wrong, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, unacceptable, littler, slighter, jerkwater, low-rent, one-horse, small-time, two-bit
    opposite: greater, higher, superior
    near: major, more, primary, senior, choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, high-grade, premium, prime, select, selected, acceptable, adequate, sufficient

  3. of low quality

    "second-rate goods specifically manufactured for the low end of the market"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, 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: At any rate (phrase)

At any rate is a different word from Rate. The synonyms below are for at any rate, not for rate.

  1. whatever else is done or is the case

    "At any rate, I'll find a way to make it to your graduation."

    similar: always, anyhow, anyway, leastways (dialect), leastwise, at all events, at least, in any case, in any event

  2. in spite of everything

    "There were some setbacks, but at any rate, we got the job done."

    similar: anyhow, anyway, anyways (chiefly dialect), regardless, whatever, at all events, in any case, in any event, no matter, whether or no
    related: after all, however, nevertheless, always

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Rate

The most common words with a similar meaning to Rate:

caliber, class, grade, quality, proportion, ratio, deserve, earn, merit, appraise, assess, estimate, evaluate, guesstimate, set, valuate, value, be, place, rank, stand, account, call, consider, count, esteem, hold, look (on or upon), reckon, regard, set down, view, take for, baste, bawl out, berate, call down, castigate, chastise, chew out

Related Words for Rate

hallmark, mark, footing, position, standing, stature, status, benchmark, criterion, measure, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick, average, frequency, correspondence, percentage, entitle, qualify, adjudge, deem, judge, ascertain, determine, discover, learn, price, prize, decide

Near Antonyms of Rate

disproportion, approve, endorse, sanction, extol, laud, praise

Word Forms of Rate

Inflections: rated, rating

Origin & Etymology of Rate

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin rata, from Latin (pro) rata (parte) according to a fixed proportion

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Rate

Words & Phrases Containing Rate

rate of change, rate of exchange, rate of pay, adjustable rate mortgage, at any rate, basal metabolic rate, birth rate

Frequently Asked Questions about Rate

What does "Rate" mean?

"Rate" means a quantity, amount, or degree of something measured per unit of something else. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a quantity, amount, or degree of something measured per unit of something else. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Rate"?

Other words for "Rate" include caliber, class, grade, quality, proportion, ratio, deserve and earn. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Rate" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Rate"?

There are 160 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Rate". Common alternatives include caliber, class, grade, quality, proportion, ratio, deserve, earn, merit and appraise.

How do you use "Rate" in a sentence?

Examples of "Rate" in a sentence: "not being of the first rate, these apples are usually sold as food for livestock"; "the exchange rate was 10 pesos to the dollar when we visited Mexico"; "how does a summer intern rate a new computer when I've been told to make do with this clunker?".

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

"Rate" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

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

As a B1-level word, "Rate" 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+.

How do you pronounce "Rate"?

"Rate" is pronounced /ˈrāt/.

What is the origin of the word "Rate"?

"Rate" comes from Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin rata, from Latin (pro) rata (parte) according to a fixed proportion. First known use: 15th century.