Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Marked with or divided into degrees: Having a series of marks, lines, or numbers to indicate measurement or quantity.
   • Taking place by degrees: Changing or progressing in a series of small, regular steps or stages.
   • Calibrated: Specifically designed with a scale of measurement, as in scientific instruments.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The chemist used a graduated cylinder to measure the liquid precisely. (The cylinder had measurement markings.)
  • The tax system has a graduated scale, so people with higher incomes pay a higher percentage. (The tax rate increases in stages.)
  • The map features a graduated color scheme to show population density. (The colors change in distinct steps from light to dark.)

Advanced Usage

• "graduated response": A policy or strategy that involves a series of increasingly severe measures.
  • The company's cybersecurity plan includes a graduated response to different levels of threats.
• "graduated lease": A lease agreement where the rent payments increase at predetermined intervals.
  • They signed a graduated lease for the commercial property.

Variants and Related Words

• Graduate (verb): To successfully complete a course of study and receive a diploma or degree.
  • She will graduate from university next spring.
• Graduation (noun): The act of receiving an academic degree or the ceremony marking this event; also, a mark on a scale.
  • We attended our daughter's graduation. / The graduations on the ruler are in centimeters.
• Gradual (adjective): Happening or changing slowly over a period of time.
  • We observed a gradual improvement in his health.

Synonyms

• Calibrated: Marked with a scale for measurement.
• Progressive: Proceeding in stages.
• Scaled: Arranged in a series of steps or levels.

Related Phrases

• Graduated income tax: A tax system where the tax rate increases as the taxable income increases.
  • Many countries use a graduated income tax to promote fairness.
• Graduated filter (in photography): A lens filter with a density that changes across its surface.
  • He used a graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure between the bright sky and the dark landscape.

Adjective

1. taking place by degrees
2. marked with or divided into degrees
   • a calibrated thermometer