1. to arrange or progress by gradual stages or degrees
Usage: formal
2. to change gradually from one color, tone, or shade to another
Usage: art; design

Examples

• The artist decided to gradate the colors from deep blue to pale yellow.
• The difficulty of the exercises gradates from simple to complex.
• She learned to gradate the paint smoothly across the canvas.
• The lighting gradates subtly from bright to dim throughout the gallery.
• The curriculum is designed to gradate students through increasingly challenging material.
• The photographer used filters to gradate the sky in the landscape shot.