rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

-ˌbrik

1

a

: an authoritative rule

especially : a rule for conduct of a liturgical service

b(1)

: name, title

specifically : the title of a statute

(2)

: something under which a thing is classed : category

the sensations falling under the general rubric, "pressure"

—F. A. Geldard

c

: an explanatory or introductory commentary : gloss

specifically : an editorial interpolation

2

: a heading of a part of a book or manuscript done or underlined in a color (such as red) different from the rest

3

: an established rule, tradition, or custom

4

: a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests

rubric adjective

or rubrical

ˈrü-bri-kəl 

rubrically

ˈrü-bri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Centuries ago, whenever manuscript writers inserted special instructions or explanations into a book, they put them in red ink to set them off from the black used in the main text. (They used the same practice to highlight saints' names and holy days in calendars, a practice which gave us the term red-letter day.) Ultimately, such special headings or comments came to be called rubrics, a term that traces back to ruber, the Latin word for "red." While the printing sense remains in use today, rubric also has an extended sense referring to any class or category under which something is organized.

Synonyms

• caption
• head
• header
• heading
• headline
• title

Examples of rubric in a Sentence

the rubrics at the beginning of the chapters are intended to be humorous

the rubric, popular among jewelers anyway, that a man should spend a month's salary on his fiancée's engagement ring

Recent Examples on the Web

Grannis acknowledged the fuzziness of the leveling rubric during his testimony, according to courtroom reporting by Law360. —WIRED, 24 Oct. 2023

Active Minds, in partnership with MTV, released a tool that teaches peer support through the ASK rubric: acknowledge, support and keep in touch. —Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023

One, under the rubric of world geography, featured lessons on the decades-long struggle between Israelis and Palestinians over land and autonomy. —Gabriel San Román, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023

But according to the scoring rubrics used by the University of California, Inbar’s spoken reservations about diversity statements would not have passed muster. —Michael Powell, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023

But according to the scoring rubrics used by the University of California, Dr. Inbar’s spoken reservations about diversity statements would not have passed muster. —Michael Powell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023

By this rubric, clientele at the Kramatorsk pizzeria likely included too many non-combatants to pass the test of proportionality. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 5 July 2023

In its place, the agency created a stopgap rubric to track new patient safety incidents that includes 12 fields of data. —Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023

The company will use a standard called Medallion Qualifying Dollars as the rubric for status. —Bychris Morris, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rubrike red ocher, heading in red letters of part of a book, from Anglo-French, from Latin rubrica, from rubr-, ruber red

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

1

: a name or heading under which something is classified : classification

different problems under the general rubric of ecology

2

: an explanation or set of instructions at the beginning of a text (as a book)

3

: a guide listing criteria for grading or scoring tests, projects, or papers

Legal Definition

rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

: an established rule, tradition, or custom