MEANING
1. A small step or difference in a series of stages, levels, or shades.
2. A mark in a series showing units of measurement on a container or instrument.
Use it for
describing degrees rather than a binary division; comparing subtle differences in a quality; identifying stages along a gradual transitionExpresses differences in degree rather than forcing a phenomenon into only two categories. Academic functions: Comparison / Contrast, Research / Methodology, Change / Pattern / Trend.
Words that belong together
- subtle gradations
- gradations of meaning
- gradations of color
On the page
The analysis identifies gradations of institutional influence rather than a simple division between power and powerlessness.
The critic traces subtle gradations in tone between open hostility and restrained skepticism.
The methods section reports the smallest gradation marked on the measuring cylinder.
The instrument’s gradations indicate reading increments, not a guarantee that every reading is accurate.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- gradation
Usage notes
Countable or uncountable: gradation, gradations; gradations of a quality; a gradual gradation between shades. Register: formal. Commonness: uncommon (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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