Slang dictionary

Grade A

or Grade-A, grade A, grade-A [ greyd ey ]

What does Grade A mean?

Grade A is an informal term used to describe something as being of the highest quality or the best example of something.

Grade A is also sometimes used to describe something as the worst quality or worst example of something.

Example: Ariana Grande gave a Grade A performance at the concert last night!

Where does Grade A come from?

The first records of Grade A come from around 1911. One of the first uses was in relation to milk when the American Association of Medical Milk Commission started grading milk A, B, and C, noting that Grade A milk was certified as appropriate for “infants, children, and adults.”

Usually, Grade A is used positively to mean something is great, enjoyable, or of excellent quality. For example, a Grade A movie is one that you would really want to see and a Grade A friend is the best kind of friend you could have.

However, Grade A can also be used negatively to mean that something is really good at being bad or that something is the best example of a bad thing. For example, a Grade A liar is someone who is really good at lying (which is bad), and a Grade A disaster is a disaster that really excels at being a disaster (meaning it is a really terrible event).

Grade A is used on social media in both the positive and negative senses.

 

Examples of Grade A

When a woman walks into anywhere wearing a coat over her shoulders but not on her arms? You know you in for some grade A drama queen.
@tressiemcphd, September 26, 2020
Except Seal’s life was more than a little grimy—he was a grade-A drug smuggler, a favorite of the Medellín Cartel and Pablo Escobar.
David Sims, The Atlantic, September 28, 2017

Who uses Grade A?

Grade A is a commonly used term that means something is of the highest quality or the best, truest example of something.

Did you know … ?

  • Grade A is used as an adjective.
  • Sometimes, Grade A is written with a hyphen or a lowercase g.
  • Grade A can describe both good and bad things.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of Grade A like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Grade A that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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