gradient

American  

[grey-dee-uhnt] / ˈgreɪ di ənt /

noun

gradients plural

1. the degree of inclination, or the rate of ascent or descent, in a highway, railroad, etc.

2. an inclined surface; grade; ramp.

3. Physics.

   1. the rate of change with respect to distance of a variable quantity, as temperature or pressure, in the direction of maximum change.

   2. a curve representing such a rate of change.

4. Mathematics. a differential operator that, operating upon a function of several variables, results in a vector the coordinates of which are the partial derivatives of the function. grad. ∇

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adjective

1. rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination.

2. progressing by walking; stepping with the feet as animals do.

3. of a type suitable for walking or running, as the feet of certain birds; gressorial.

gradient British  

/ ˈɡreɪdɪənt /

noun

1. Also called (esp US): grade.  a part of a railway, road, etc, that slopes upwards or downwards; inclination

2. Also called (esp US and Canadian): grade.  a measure of such a slope, esp the ratio of the vertical distance between two points on the slope to the horizontal distance between them

3. physics a measure of the change of some physical quantity, such as temperature or electric potential, over a specified distance

4. maths

   1. (of a curve) the slope of the tangent at any point on a curve with respect to the horizontal axis

   2. (of a function, f ( x, y, z )) the vector whose components along the axes are the partial derivatives of the function with respect to each variable, and whose direction is that in which the derivative of the function has its maximum value. Usually written: grad f , ∇ f or ∇ f Compare curl divergence

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adjective

1. sloping uniformly

gradient Scientific  

/ grā′dē-ənt /

1. The degree to which something inclines; a slope. A mountain road with a gradient of ten percent rises one foot for every ten feet of horizontal length.

2. The rate at which a physical quantity, such as temperature or pressure changes over a distance.

3. A operator on scalar fields yielding a vector function, where the value of the vector evaluated at any point indicates the direction and degree of change of the field at that point.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gradients
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gradient

1635–45; < Latin gradient- (stem of gradiēns ), present participle of gradī to walk, go, equivalent to grad- walk + -i- thematic vowel + -ent- -ent

Explanation

The gradient of a surface is its slope. If you're a daredevil and you're looking for a road to fly down on your skateboard, you'll want to find one with a fairly steep gradient. In mathematics, the gradient tells you how steep a line in a graph is. In physics, when you say gradient, you're talking about how quickly something changes from one point to another. The word comes ultimately from the Latin gradus "step," and a gradient gives you a measure of the "steps" by which something changes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gradient gradients

For example, a cyclist who suddenly hits a curb experiences a sharp velocity gradient when the bike stops but the rider's momentum continues forward.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

"We picked particular areas to enable us to see a gradient of high nutrients to low nutrients," said Dr Richard Unsworth from Swansea University, adding that the team's findings were "stark".

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

The word “Coachella” is placed in free-flowing sprawl across the top, punctuated with a forest green gradient and bright orange stroke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

“Time to recalibrate my gradient on the big picture,” one co-founder wrote to announce his last day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

PIH believed in sending resources directly to Cange, down “the steep gradient of inequality.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

A weaker AMOC, he argues, could sharpen the temperature contrast between northern and southern Europe - one of the gradients that helps drive storms and other extremes.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The team suspected these gradients could play a major role in shaping magnetic fields.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

Weak offshore gradients that bring warm desert air to the coast add to the heat, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

In options trading, there are gradients of success.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

In English, they would be free of the sharply defined gradients of Korean hierarchy: formal deference, informal deference, blunt, familiar, intimate, and plain.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell