as in slopes
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon
the path goes up at a pretty steep gradient before leveling off
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Recent Examples of gradients
The diffused color gradients will bring life to more drab office setups, and be a nice nod to the marble book ends sitting on the neighboring bookshelf.
—
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
The Reality of the ‘Active’ Aesthetic This NYFW appearance follows the success of the O3 Air Winter Edition, which used bold gradients to mimic the textures of a frozen landscape.
—Footwear News, 18 Mar. 2026
Weak offshore gradients that bring warm desert air to the coast add to the heat, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Soft sorbet shades worn as gradients, accents and French tips make for a gorgeous nod to spring.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2026
The courses for the athletes in the sitting category have lower gradients as the athletes rely on the upper body for pushing/pulling themselves forward while on a sit-ski.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Technology has improved so much in design that sit skiers (athletes who use a wheelchair in day-to-day life) can compete on the same courses as Olympians and in all the Alpine events, which involve steep gradients and sharp turns.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The digital printing system enables complex artwork and color gradients to be reproduced on lightweight materials, including satin, stretch tulle, and pleated viscose—simultaneously reducing waste and simplifying production processes.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
The shortest runways in the world make landing the journey’s most dramatic moment, where cliffs, gradients, tides and mountains compress aviation into a test of pure precision.
—Karina Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
The Reality of the ‘Active’ Aesthetic This NYFW appearance follows the success of the O3 Air Winter Edition, which used bold gradients to mimic the textures of a frozen landscape.
—Footwear News, 18 Mar. 2026
Weak offshore gradients that bring warm desert air to the coast add to the heat, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Soft sorbet shades worn as gradients, accents and French tips make for a gorgeous nod to spring.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2026
The courses for the athletes in the sitting category have lower gradients as the athletes rely on the upper body for pushing/pulling themselves forward while on a sit-ski.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Technology has improved so much in design that sit skiers (athletes who use a wheelchair in day-to-day life) can compete on the same courses as Olympians and in all the Alpine events, which involve steep gradients and sharp turns.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The digital printing system enables complex artwork and color gradients to be reproduced on lightweight materials, including satin, stretch tulle, and pleated viscose—simultaneously reducing waste and simplifying production processes.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
The shortest runways in the world make landing the journey’s most dramatic moment, where cliffs, gradients, tides and mountains compress aviation into a test of pure precision.
—Karina Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradients
Noun
-
Areas above 6,000 feet across the western slopes of the northern Sierra Nevada—including Donner Pass—could see between 6 and 12 inches of snow, and northern Trinity county could get up to 6 inches of snow by Thursday morning.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Massive yuccas and barrel cacti stud its steep slopes.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The story follows struggling creatives navigating debt, eviction threats and a precarious gig economy, visualized in Riley’s inventive style — from looming piles of eviction notices to characters literally struggling up and down steep inclines that mirror the instability of their lives.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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Servicing a mountainous areas like Escondido drives up costs, as an expensive network of pipes and pump stations is needed to move water up and down considerable inclines, said Kyle Morgan, the city’s acting director of utilities and wastewater.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is the standard for ramp inclinations that are usable for most people, especially wheelchair users.—
K. Desbouis,
Artforum,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Trump’s inclinations to make every race about him could foul this for the GOP.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gradients.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gradients. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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