as in slope
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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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 gradient On day one, she was seen in a matching green snakeskin set and later in a Carolina blue gradient asymmetrical dress, the latter seemingly a nod to boyfriend Belichick, who now coaches the UNC football team. Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 12 May 2025 The icon was changed from having four solid color blocks in the letter to a gradient between the letters. James Powel, USA Today, 12 May 2025 These strips—delicate paper things with fuchsia gradients—were designed to detect a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) in the urine, the spike that precedes ovulation. Anonymous, Vogue, 10 May 2025 Its background, a pale yellow gradient, still gives me a slight frisson, like a Playboy issue hidden under the bed. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gradient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gradient
Noun
  • Across the Cotswolds, darling villages like Painswick and Tetbury sit among green slopes, each one a jumble of honeystone cottages housing dreamy inns, shops selling antiques or books, and award-winning restaurants like Lygon Arms and the Woolpack Inn, Slad.
    Danielle Hallock, AFAR Media, 5 June 2025
  • But this week was an undeniable success, those slopes causing damage, those greens forcing balls to fly from end to end.
    Brody Miller, New York Times, 1 June 2025
Noun
  • In conversations about smart buildings or workplace technology, there’s often an inclination to jump to the latest tools or features.
    Swapna Sathyan, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • This is because a planet's altitude in the sky is dependent in part on the inclination of the ecliptic relative to the horizon, which shifts throughout the year due to Earth's wobbling orbit.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 May 2025
Noun
  • Walk on an incline (such as by walking up hills or increasing the incline on a treadmill).4 Pump your arms.
    Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 10 June 2025
  • Steinwald has worked with trainers to build stamina and endurance for inclines and elevation.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gradient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gradient. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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