gradient
noun
the degree of inclination, or the rate of ascent or descent, in a highway, railroad, etc.
gradients
-
pluralof gradient.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The findings also show that broad ecological patterns, such as precipitation gradients and the influence of altitude, remain detectable even under extreme conditions and can be observed at the genetic level.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026
In options trading, there are gradients of success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
And "part of the novelty of this work is functional gradients exist everywhere in biology," the researcher said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 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
