gradate

[ grey-deyt ]
See synonyms for gradate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),gra·dat·ed, gra·dat·ing.
  1. to pass by gradual or imperceptible degrees, as one color into another.

verb (used with object),gra·dat·ed, gra·dat·ing.
  1. to cause to gradate.

  2. to arrange in grades.

Origin of gradate

1
First recorded in 1745–55; back formation from gradation

Other words from gradate

  • re·gra·date, verb, re·gra·dat·ed, re·gra·dat·ing.
  • un·gra·dat·ed, adjective
  • un·gra·dat·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gradate in a sentence

  • But there are cases in which a gradated tone, such as a sky, may need to be printed before the line block.

    Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher
  • It is easy in this way to print a very delicately gradated tint from full colour to white.

    Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher
  • She was also in a scarlet flannel blouse thickly powdered with gradated black discs.

    The Far Horizon | Lucas Malet
  • The right line is to the curve what monotony is to melody, and what unvaried color is to gradated color.

  • Not only this, but there is a gradated improvement of intelligence in the course of it,—rather too much so for entire credibility.

British Dictionary definitions for gradate

gradate

/ (ɡrəˈdeɪt) /


verb
  1. to change or cause to change imperceptibly, as from one colour, tone, or degree to another

  2. (tr) to arrange in grades or ranks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012