gradient
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the degree to which a road, path, or railway line goes up or down.
the degree of inclination or the rate of ascent or descent of a physical slope, such as a road or railway track.
Simple“The cyclists struggled to maintain their speed on the steep gradient of the mountain road.”
In context“Engineers had to carefully calculate the gradient of the new railway line to ensure the locomotives could manage the ascent during heavy rain.”
UsageOften used with adjectives like 'steep', 'gentle', or 'slight'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a smooth transition where one color gradually changes into another.
a visual effect in which one color blends into another through a series of gradual steps or a smooth transition.
Simple“The website background uses a blue-to-white gradient that looks like the sky.”
In context“The graphic designer applied a subtle radial gradient to the logo to give it a three-dimensional appearance without using complex shadows.”
SynonymsgradationblendAntonymssolid color - 03 C1 Advanced
the steepness of a line on a graph, showing how fast one thing changes compared to another.
the rate of change of a function with respect to its variables; specifically, the slope of a curve's tangent at a given point.
Simple“To solve the problem, you first need to find the gradient of the curve at point X.”
In context“The student calculated the gradient of the graph to determine the acceleration of the particle over the specified time interval.”
UsageIn calculus, often represented by the symbol ∇ (nabla).
Synonyms
“To do so, she studied butterflies along an elevational gradient in the German Alps.”
“The first explanation the researchers came up with was that the flies were climbing a rising gradient of odor toward the source.”
From Latin gradiēns, present participle of gradior (“to step, to walk”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.