rubric

American  

[roo-brik] / ˈru brɪk /

noun

rubrics plural

1. a title, heading, direction, or the like, in a manuscript, book, statute, etc., written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.

2. a direction for the conduct of divine service or the administration of the sacraments, inserted in liturgical books.

3. any established mode of conduct or procedure; protocol.

4. an explanatory comment; gloss.

5. a class or category

6. Archaic. red ocher.

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adjective

1. written, inscribed in, or marked with or as with red; rubrical.

2. Archaic. red; ruddy.

rubric British  

/ ˈruːbrɪk /

noun

1. a title, heading, or initial letter in a book, manuscript, or section of a legal code, esp one printed or painted in red ink or in some similarly distinguishing manner

2. a set of rules of conduct or procedure

3. a set of directions for the conduct of Christian church services, often printed in red in a prayer book or missal

4. instructions to a candidate at the head of the examination paper

5. an obsolete name for red ochre

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adjective

1. written, printed, or marked in red

Usage

What does rubric mean? Rubric commonly refers to a set of guidelines or a protocol for how something will or should be done, like how an assignment will be graded. Rubric is also commonly used to mean a class or category. Its original meaning, which is still used, refers to text printed in red or set apart in some other way, such as a heading in a manuscript. Less commonly, rubric can be used as an adjective meaning written or marked in red. Example: Please check the rubric when writing your papers so you know exactly what I’m looking for.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rubrical
  adjective
• rubrically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rubrics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rubric

1325–75; < Latin rūbrīca red ocher (derivative of ruber red ¹ ); replacing Middle English rubriche, rubrike (noun) < Old French

Explanation

A rubric is a heading or a category in a chart, or a rule of conduct. A teacher's grading rubrics may include participation, homework completion, tests, quizzes, and papers. A rubric can also mean a rule or a procedure. If you use "might makes right" as the rubric for the formation of a list of classroom rules, you'll have a different-feeling classroom culture than if your rubric is "everyone deserves respect."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rubric rubrics

Situations that get bundled together under this rubric include airlines cutting flights, Asian governments requiring home-working to save fuel, rising EV sales and high energy costs sapping overall economic activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

“It’s about transparency. It’s objectivity. It’s being able to identify the conflicts of interest, mitigate or eliminate the ones that are substantial, and then disclose—because our federal securities rubric is a disclosure-based regime,” Dahiya says.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

"I believe Harry falls very much into that rubric," Dolan said, "because the scapegoat is not only the one who's perceived to be the villain of the family, but their truth-telling is perceived as betrayal."

From Salon ● May 10, 2025

That typically means anything that falls under the rubric of traditional medical, dental, and vision services, as well as the costs of prescription drugs.

From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2025

Take a moment to read the rubric below and see where you fit in.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

This so-called washback effect of test scoring rubrics on the way language is taught is at the heart of what drives Yasuda.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2024

It includes recent rubrics — gleaned from public records — used by admissions committees for the university’s computer science, informatics, public health and business school departments.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2023

“But all four reflect a respect and understanding of the educational and social rubrics and traditions that have made VMI great,” the statement read.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2022

American singles have no shortage of rubrics they can turn to for determining romantic compatibility.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2022

She puts down the stack of rubrics she’s holding.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden