pay grade

noun

: a level of compensation for work especially when understood to reflect responsibility and authority

"People listen to you regardless of your pay grade," a Goldman managing director told me. "There is a real respect for the individual voice."

—John Cassidy

—often used figuratively

The unanswerable questions ascend into the skies, far above your pay grade, whatever it may be.

—Robert W. Lucky

Unfortunately … he appears to think the task of community development is below his pay grade.

—Faith Bautista

No one will read this book and come away wondering if steroids really work. Oh, they work. They bump a competitor up a whole pay grade—from finishing in the middle of the pack in the final heat to breaking the tape and collecting the winner's bonus.

—Michael Sokolove

Examples of pay grade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Entry-level fellows are hired at the GS7 to G9 pay grade which ranges from roughly $50K annually and by the 24-month program completion secure a GS12 role of nearly $115K, a promotion track that most recent graduates would work nearly five years to achieve. —Brandi Bufford, USA Today, 2 June 2026

Even if most of that new work was beneath their pay grade, the number of complex projects also exploded. —Rob Collie, Fortune, 29 May 2026

Volunteers can be from any pay grade, Bhattacharya noted in his email. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026

Store managers by and large received them warmly but said that sourcing decisions were above their pay grade. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pay grade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted