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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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

Its slate pairs four features, all set for release in 2027, with three long-form TV dramas at various stages of production.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Of course, Gen Zers are still in the early stages of their careers and have yet to enter their prime earnings years.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 10 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

Often, the company sets its standards based on Japan’s service protocol, counter design and product innovation.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
The worst idea is a finalized regulatory rule — rolling back fuel economy standards for automobiles that had been strengthened during the Biden administration.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 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 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grades

noun

verb

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