GRADES Synonyms: 183 Similar and Opposite Words

grades 1 of 2

noun

plural of grade

as in stages

an individual part of a process, series, or ranking just one grade removed from completion

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Relevance

as in rates

degree of excellence only motor oil of the highest grade for his fancy sports car

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as in types

one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic there are various grades of wool to consider when selecting a fabric

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as in standards

something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared that painting just doesn't make the grade

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in slopes

the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon the hill rises at a seven percent grade

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grades

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grade

as in ranks

to arrange or assign according to type grade these apples "extra fancy" and those "fancy"

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in is

to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes believe it or not, that music grades pretty high with young teens

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grades

Noun

Mazal grades plates like gold — 18, 21, or 24 karat — with a top tier called mithali, Arabic for perfect. — semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Kacmarek also had by far Miami’s best run blocking grades in his 13 run blocking snaps. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 High school foreign language teachers should be shifted to younger grades to immerse these younger children in foreign languages as the Europeans do. — Doug Wojcieszak, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 The awards buzz may prove tough to come by at this point, given that Digger was hit with a C+ CinemaScore from audiences, landing as one of the lowest grades for Cruise’s career, and has polarized critics. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026 Failing grades Overall, only 60 percent (44 of 73) of the facilities both masked and isolated the actors. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026 Chris worked as a public school teacher, eventually teaching fifth and sixth grades. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026 Opponents of ditching testing requirements argued that the exams are a key tool to uniformly predict academic success from students of divergent backgrounds, as well as schools that may issue grades differently. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 The system can process different grades of iron ore and use either natural gas or hydrogen as the reducing agent. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026

Verb

Schlittler throws a curveball that grades out rather well, but he’s thrown it less than 10% of the time. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026 Hundreds of students, grades seven through 12, arrived on yellow school buses for the rally. — Ali Bauman, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 But how does this ranking compare to scores from Leapfrog, a watchdog organization that grades hospitals on safety? — Eva Flowe august 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026 Marquez grades well on rival teams’ models, according to analysts with several teams who were granted anonymity to speak freely. — The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 24 July 2026 In addition to the zones, the board must decide which grades the new West High School will initially serve. — Arkansas Online, 16 July 2026 The 4Cs is the standard GIA grading scale for diamonds, which grades on cut, color, clarity, and carat size. — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 22 May 2026 The report grades medical care facilities on a scale from A to F, with A being the highest grade and F the lowest. — Sacbee.com, 12 May 2026 Mississippi grades its schools A to F and sends coaches to train teachers in low-performing ones. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grades

Noun

But a new study found that most cases of colorectal cancer in kids and teenagers are aggressive, and often diagnosed at advanced stages.

— Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Such direct observations can be detailed, but they are often limited to near-coastal regions and unevenly distributed, while many of the most important stages of hurricane development occur over the open ocean where direct observations are sparse.

— Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stages

Noun

The picture could change, however, if higher rates finally begin to inflict significant damage on the economy or financial markets.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
Aubrey Layne, Sentara’s chief administrative officer, said lower payment rates from government programs — and impending cuts to Medicaid — are forcing the hospital to play hardball with the insurers that are representing employers.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of rates

Noun

Professional societies and standards organizations will need to develop and regularly update the technical requirements.

— Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.

— Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of standards

Noun

To walk deep into the mountain forests at the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains, is to encounter the fragrant majesty of century-old ponderosa pine trees famous for lining ski slopes, National Park trails and residential neighborhoods.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
On a hot Saturday, Pawlikowski and I revisited those heights—the slopes from which, for almost four years, starting in the spring of 1992, Serbian artillery pounded Sarajevo, which lies vulnerably cupped in the valley below.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of slopes

Noun

Wiener not only leaves behind a richly complex body of work straddling textiles, painting, photographs, and collages, but also a career intricately connected to one of the most important chapters of Austrian art.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The director Elia Kazan took a stab, in 1955, by retooling just the final chapters as an angsty star vehicle for the teen heartthrob James Dean.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of chapters

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“Grades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grades. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grades

noun

verb

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