"grade on a curve" meaning in English

See grade on a curve in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: grades on a curve [present, singular, third-person], grading on a curve [participle, present], graded on a curve [participle, past], graded on a curve [past]
Etymology: Referring to the bell curve of a normal distribution. Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} grade on a curve (third-person singular simple present grades on a curve, present participle grading on a curve, simple past and past participle graded on a curve)
  1. To use a grading system based on the scale of performance of a group to normalize a right-skewed grade distribution (with more lower scores) into a bell curve, so that more can receive higher grades, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject; to curve a grade. Translations (use a grading system): 拉curve (laai¹ koe¹ fu⁴) (Chinese Cantonese), 曲線評分 /曲线评分 (qūxiàn píngfēn) (Chinese Mandarin), normittaa (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-grade_on_a_curve-en-verb-mqkVEtus Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Cantonese translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Education Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 71 29 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 84 16 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 73 27 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 74 26 Disambiguation of Terms with Cantonese translations: 78 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 75 25 Disambiguation of Education: 100 0 Disambiguation of 'use a grading system': 93 7
  2. (by extension) To compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale, based on performance relative to other members. Tags: broadly Translations (compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale): 相對評比 /相对评比 (xiāngduì píngbǐ) (Chinese Mandarin), vertailla (Finnish), luokitella (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-grade_on_a_curve-en-verb-ucWMQ6n7 Disambiguation of 'compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale': 15 85

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Referring to the bell curve of a normal distribution.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "grades on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grading on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "graded on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "graded on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "grade on a curve (third-person singular simple present grades on a curve, present participle grading on a curve, simple past and past participle graded on a curve)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "71 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "84 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Cantonese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Education",
          "orig": "en:Education",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              29
            ],
            [
              41,
              51
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He asked the teacher to grade (the test) on a curve.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use a grading system based on the scale of performance of a group to normalize a right-skewed grade distribution (with more lower scores) into a bell curve, so that more can receive higher grades, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject; to curve a grade."
      ],
      "id": "en-grade_on_a_curve-en-verb-mqkVEtus",
      "links": [
        [
          "normalize",
          "normalize"
        ],
        [
          "skewed",
          "skewed"
        ],
        [
          "bell curve",
          "bell curve"
        ],
        [
          "curve",
          "curve"
        ],
        [
          "grade",
          "grade"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "93 7",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "lang_code": "yue",
          "roman": "laai¹ koe¹ fu⁴",
          "sense": "use a grading system",
          "word": "拉curve"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 7",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "qūxiàn píngfēn",
          "sense": "use a grading system",
          "word": "曲線評分 /曲线评分"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 7",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "use a grading system",
          "word": "normittaa"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale, based on performance relative to other members."
      ],
      "id": "en-grade_on_a_curve-en-verb-ucWMQ6n7",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) To compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale, based on performance relative to other members."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "15 85",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "xiāngduì píngbǐ",
          "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
          "word": "相對評比 /相对评比"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 85",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
          "word": "vertailla"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 85",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
          "word": "luokitella"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "grade on a curve"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Cantonese translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "en:Education"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Referring to the bell curve of a normal distribution.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "grades on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grading on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "graded on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "graded on a curve",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "grade on a curve (third-person singular simple present grades on a curve, present participle grading on a curve, simple past and past participle graded on a curve)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              29
            ],
            [
              41,
              51
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He asked the teacher to grade (the test) on a curve.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use a grading system based on the scale of performance of a group to normalize a right-skewed grade distribution (with more lower scores) into a bell curve, so that more can receive higher grades, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject; to curve a grade."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "normalize",
          "normalize"
        ],
        [
          "skewed",
          "skewed"
        ],
        [
          "bell curve",
          "bell curve"
        ],
        [
          "curve",
          "curve"
        ],
        [
          "grade",
          "grade"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale, based on performance relative to other members."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) To compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale, based on performance relative to other members."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "lang_code": "yue",
      "roman": "laai¹ koe¹ fu⁴",
      "sense": "use a grading system",
      "word": "拉curve"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "qūxiàn píngfēn",
      "sense": "use a grading system",
      "word": "曲線評分 /曲线评分"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "use a grading system",
      "word": "normittaa"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "xiāngduì píngbǐ",
      "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
      "word": "相對評比 /相对评比"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
      "word": "vertailla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "compare the members of a set or group by using a relative scale",
      "word": "luokitella"
    }
  ],
  "word": "grade on a curve"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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