degrees

IPA/dɪˈɡriː/
KK[dɪɡrˈiz]IPA/dɪˈɡriː/

degrees — noun

  • degreessingular
  • degreesesplural

1. levels of strength, size, amount, or importance that something can have in compa

1.nounB2
Definition

levels of strength, size, amount, or importance that something can have in comparison with something else

Example

The two sauces had different degrees of sweetness and heat.

pattern: degrees of + noun

Teachers saw varying degrees of worry on the children's faces before the exam.

collocation: varying degrees of

Common collocations
  • different degrees of
  • varying degrees of
  • to some degree
  • to a large degree
Synonyms
  • levels

    the closest everyday choice when you are comparing how much of something is present

  • amounts

    best when the focus is quantity rather than intensity or importance

  • extents

    more formal; often used for how far something spreads or applies

  • intensities

    used when the quality is felt strongly, such as pain, heat, or colour

Grammar Patterns

degrees of + noun

to different degrees

varying degrees of + noun

Usage Note

Most often used with 'of' before the thing being measured ('degrees of pressure', 'degrees of trust'). Distinguish from sense 4, which talks about a grey area between two extremes rather than the size or strength of a quality itself.

Common Mistakes

The rooms had different degrees noise.
The rooms had different degrees of noise.
This sense normally uses 'degrees of' before the quality being measured.

2. units used for measuring temperature, angles, and some other scales, usually wri

2.nounA2
Definition

units used for measuring temperature, angles, and some other scales, usually written with the symbol °

Example

The nurse said Mei's fever had dropped two degrees overnight.

number + degrees

Karim turned the map by ninety degrees to match the road signs.

turn by + number + degrees

Common collocations
  • ten degrees
  • ninety degrees
  • 180 degrees
  • degrees Celsius
  • degrees Fahrenheit
Synonyms
  • units

    a broader measurement word; less specific than 'degrees'

  • points

    used on some scales, but not as the normal word for temperature or angle measurement

Grammar Patterns

number + degrees

turn by + number + degrees

at + number + degrees

Usage Note

After numbers other than one, English uses the plural form: 'ten degrees', 'ninety degrees'. This sense is about units on a scale, not about university qualifications or abstract levels.

Common Mistakes

Turn the page 90 degree.
Turn the page 90 degrees.
Use the plural form after numbers greater than one.

3. courses of study at a university, or the academic qualifications students receiv

3.nounB1
Definition

courses of study at a university, or the academic qualifications students receive after successfully completing them

Example

Both sisters earned science degrees at the same university in Busan.

earn + degrees

Job ads in the city increasingly ask for degrees in data analysis.

degrees in + subject

Common collocations
  • college degrees
  • graduate degrees
  • degrees in law
  • degrees in engineering
Synonyms
  • qualifications

    broader; can also include certificates and diplomas outside university study

  • diplomas

    often shorter or more vocational programmes, not always university awards

  • credentials

    more general and often used in job or professional contexts

Grammar Patterns

degrees in + subject

earn/get/have + degrees

hold multiple degrees

Usage Note

Use the plural when talking about more than one qualification or about degree programmes in general. For one qualification, English usually uses the singular form: 'a degree in biology'.

Common Mistakes

She finished a degrees in law.
She finished a degree in law.
Use the singular form for one qualification and the plural only for more than one.

4. differences along a continuous range, where two things are not completely separa

4.nounC1
Definition

differences along a continuous range, where two things are not completely separate but vary little by little

Example

For Mina, strictness in parents is a matter of degrees, not kinds.

phrase: a matter of degrees

At dinner, the family agreed the soup's spiciness was a question of degrees.

phrase: question of degrees

Common collocations
  • a matter of degrees
  • question of degrees
  • differ by degrees
Synonyms
  • gradations

    formal; stresses small steps in difference across a scale

  • shades

    common in speech when the differences are subtle rather than absolute

  • continuum

    more academic; focuses on one unbroken range

Antonyms
  • opposites

    used when two things are seen as completely different ends

Grammar Patterns

a matter of degrees

differ by degrees

question of degrees

Usage Note

This sense usually appears in set phrases such as 'a matter of degrees'. Distinguish it from sense 1: sense 1 measures how much of a quality there is, while this sense says the contrast itself is gradual rather than sharply divided.

Common Mistakes

It is degrees, not black and white.
It is a matter of degrees, not a simple black-and-white issue.
This sense normally appears in a phrase that shows a gradual difference.

5. the highest powers that variables have in algebraic expressions, equations, or p

5.nounC1
Definition

the highest powers that variables have in algebraic expressions, equations, or polynomials

Example

These two polynomials have different degrees, so the teacher grouped them separately.

different degrees of polynomials

The teacher sorted the equations by degrees before starting the homework review.

sort equations by degrees

Common collocations
  • degrees of a polynomial
  • higher degrees
  • compare degrees
  • sort equations by degrees
Synonyms
  • powers

    close in meaning when you are talking about exponents themselves

  • orders

    used in some mathematical contexts for levels of equations or derivatives

Grammar Patterns

degrees of + polynomial

degrees of + expression

sort equations by degrees

Usage Note

Used in school and university mathematics when classifying equations or expressions. In Chinese this idea is usually explained through the highest power in the expression, not through repeated counting.

Common Mistakes

This equation is degree three.
This equation has degree three.
In math, English usually uses 'have degree + number' when stating the value directly.

Word family

  • degree
    nounA2
  • degreed
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, degrees is useful when you compare how strong, serious, or noticeable something is across people, places, or situations. Levels is the most common everyday substitute, especially for measurable things such as noise levels or stress levels. Amounts works better when the focus is quantity rather than intensity, so it suits money, water, or food more naturally than pain or trust. Extent is more formal and often appears when you describe how far damage, influence, or responsibility reaches. You can say children showed different degrees of fear before the storm, but a report may describe the extent of the flood damage. When the comparison sounds like a scale, degrees is often the sharpest choice.

degrees ↗levels ↗amounts ↗extent ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Degrees is the plural form of degree. Degree came into English through Old French degre from Latin gradus, a word for a step or stage. That older idea of moving up or down by steps later widened into levels of intensity, marked units on a scale, university qualifications, and mathematical ranking by powers.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a