gradation

American  

[grey-dey-shuhn] / greɪˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. any process or change taking place through a series of stages, by degrees, or in a gradual manner.

2. a stage, degree, or grade in such a series.

3. the passing of one tint or shade of color to another, or one surface to another, by very small degrees, as in painting or sculpture.

4. the act of grading.

5. ablaut.

6. Geology. the leveling of a land surface, resulting from the concerted action of erosion and deposition.

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gradation British  

/ ɡrəˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. a series of systematic stages; gradual progression

2. (often plural) a stage or degree in such a series or progression

3. the act or process of arranging or forming in stages, grades, etc, or of progressing evenly

4. (in painting, drawing, or sculpture) transition from one colour, tone, or surface to another through a series of very slight changes

5. linguistics any change in the quality or length of a vowel within a word indicating certain distinctions, such as inflectional or tense differentiations See ablaut

6. geology the natural levelling of land as a result of the building up or wearing down of pre-existing formations

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gradation Scientific  

/ grā-dā′shən /

1. The process by which land is leveled off through erosion or the transportation or deposition of sediments, especially the process by which a riverbed is brought to a level where it is just able to transport the amount of sediment delivered to it.

2. The proportion of particles (such as sand grains) of a given size within a sample of particulate material, such as soil or sandstone.

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Other Word Forms

• gradational adjective
• gradationally adverb
• regradation noun

Etymology

Origin of gradation

First recorded in 1530–40, gradation is from the Latin word gradātiōn- (stem of gradātiō ). See grade, -ation

Explanation

Anything with a bunch of levels or stages can be considered a gradation. In high school, the process of moving from freshman to senior year could be called a gradation, or your position in the series of steps that lead toward graduation. Any organization with a hierarchy, set up so that some members are considered better, higher, or more respected than others, has a gradation of positions within it. The military is a great example, with a gradation, or series of steps, from private to general. The root of gradation is the Latin gradationem, which means "ascent by steps."

Example Sentences

Weeds are popping up, the scrub in the middle distance has turned golden and the serene sky above is a gradation of pale blues.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2022

And we won’t be giving starred reviews — that kind of blunt gradation makes even less sense now than it did before.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2022

For food professionals, who spend their lives exploring nuance and gradation in flavor, recourse is even more limited.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2020

The color is richer and the gradation considerably subtler, and, since the restoration is Parajanov’s original cut, the running time is 10 minutes shorter than the Kino version released in 2001.

From New York Times • May 24, 2018

But there is a continuous gradation from triple systems through loose clusters of a few dozen stars to the great globular clusters, resplendent with a million suns.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• calibration
• nuance