English Reference

Word

rubric

US/ˈɹubɹɪk/

UK/ɹˈuːbɹɪk/

Definition

n. a set of rules or standards used to judge how good a piece of work is. It tells you exactly what you need to do to get a good grade.

n. a set of criteria or standards used for evaluating the quality of a piece of work. In a legal context, it refers to the title or heading of a legal document or statute.

Examples

“The teacher gave us a rubric to help us write the essay.”

“The students were confused because the rubric did not clearly explain how the research section would be graded.”

“While the legal rubric of the contract appeared sound, the underlying terms were so vague that they eventually led to a lengthy dispute in the courts.”

Examples

simple

“The teacher gave us a rubric to help us write the essay.”

contextual

“The students were confused because the rubric did not clearly explain how the research section would be graded.”

complex

“While the legal rubric of the contract appeared sound, the underlying terms were so vague that they eventually led to a lengthy dispute in the courts.”

Real-World Examples

“The researchers established a rubric to evaluate the extent and severity of symptoms, including alopecia; erythema and exudation; pruritus; and scaling.”
Phys.org · 15 Aug 2026
“The simple rubric is that every five international students impact one university job.”
The Guardian · 14 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle English rubriche, rubrike, from Old French rubrique, from Latin rūbrīca (“red ochre”), the substance used to make red letters, from ruber (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Domain

Education

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference