gray scale

noun

: a series of regularly spaced tones ranging from black to white through intermediate shades of gray
also : an image composed solely of gray scale tones
grayscale adjective

Examples of gray scale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And, while both can be solid gray or black, wolves land on the gray scale more frequently. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023 Aurora James of Brother Vellies made a gray scale version of her brand’s trademark slipper mules, in calf hair. Caitie Kelly Caitie Kelly Kurt Soller Ellie Pithers Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2022 The earthy warmth of Tweed evokes summer days spent in the Cotswolds, while Tuxedo’s gray scale calls to mind innumerable red-carpet photo calls. Vogue, 13 Sep. 2019 The Holocaust, or the Gulag, are such monstrous events that the very idea of rendering them in any sort of gray scale seems monstrous, too. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 21 June 2019 What the ad says: The one-minute ad opens in gray scale images and paints a dismal portrait of Maryland before Hogan was elected. Erin Cox, baltimoresun.com, 30 May 2018 Water and nourishment enter through the gray scales on their leaves, so these plants don’t need soil to survive. Karen Dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, 17 May 2018 The wearer sits calmly, her face and body rendered in gray scale — without any color. Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, 14 Feb. 2018 Her images play black and white against color in different ways, most obviously in the skin tones, which are painted on the gray scale. Roberta Smith, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray scale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gray scale was circa 1939

Dictionary Entries Near gray scale

Cite this Entry

“Gray scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20scale. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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