grade inflation

noun

A gradual upward trend in grades awarded to students during the decades since the mid-20th century, reported in a number of countries and at a number of levels of schooling and sometimes offered as evidence of a decline in academic standards.

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Meanings

noungrade inflation (uncountable)
  1. uncountableeducationA gradual upward trend in grades awarded to students during the decades since the mid-20th century, reported in a number of countries and at a number of levels of schooling and sometimes offered as evidence of a decline in academic standards.

    Grade inflation refers to an increase in grade point average without a concomitant increase in achievement.

    1981, I. Bejar, E. Blew, “Grade Inflation and the Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test”, in American Educational Research Journal, volume 18, number 2, page 143

Translations

Swedish betygsinflation
  • betygsinflationupward trend in grades
Cite this entry
APA

grade inflation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grade%20inflation

MLA

“grade inflation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grade%20inflation. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grade inflation,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grade%20inflation.

Source: grade inflation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.