gradient
gradient Lexical Profile
gradient Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An inclined part of a road, railway, or natural terrain; the degree to which a surface slopes upward or downward.
"The cyclists shifted into a lower gear to climb the steep gradient leading up to the mountain pass."
An increase or decrease in the magnitude of a physical property, such as temperature, pressure, or concentration, observed in passing from one point or moment to another.
"A strong atmospheric pressure gradient between the two regions generated high winds across the coast."
A smooth, continuous blending or transition from one color, shade, or texture to another in visual art and graphic design.
"The graphic designer applied a subtle blue-to-purple gradient to the website background."
In vector calculus, a vector operator that represents the rate and direction of the steepest increase of a scalar function.
"In machine learning, algorithms calculate the gradient of the loss function to optimize model parameters."
• adjective
Rising or descending by regular degrees of inclination; gradually changing in value, color, or magnitude.
"The lens features a gradient tint that darkens near the top to shield the eyes from overhead sunlight."
• Rhymes for gradient
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-19th century from Latin gradientem, the present participle of gradi ('to walk' or 'to step'), from gradus ('step' or 'degree').