low-grade

adjective

Of inferior quality.

Opposite

Meanings

adjectivelow-grade (comparative lower-grade, superlative lowest-grade)

comparative lower-grade · superlative lowest-grade · alternative low grade · alternative lowgrade · alternative lower grade · alternative lowest grade

  1. Of inferior quality.
    1 more example

    Were the possibilities of improving the efficiency of British Railways' steam locomotives by making the best use of the reasonably satisfactory low-grade lump coal available today, and thereby saving more high-grade locomotive coal, borne in mind when it was decided to go ahead rapidly with replacement of steam traction?

    1961 September, “Talking of Trains: Greater scope for steam”, in Modern Railways, page 517

    Synonyms: lousy, low-rent, second-rate, ass, bad, base, below par, bottom-shelf · Antonyms: high-grade

  2. medicineMinor.

    Clinical Presentation Patients with septic arthritis or osteomyelitis classically present acutely with localized pain and swelling, joint stiffness, low-grade fever, chills, anorexia, and malaise.

    2024 May 31, Shuliang Ge, Jinhang Wen, Swee-Tian Quek, Wilfred C. G. Peh, “Imaging of Shoulder Infection”, in Medical Radiology, Springer, →DOI, pages 1–22
    2 more examples

    These studies have identified a novel role for MLKL in aging, revealing a delay in the age-related reduction in circulating lymphocytes and a protection from chronic, low-grade, sterile inflammation in female Mlkl^(–/–) aged mice.

    2023 February 8, Emma C. Tovey Crutchfield; Sarah E. Garnish; Jessica Day; Holly Anderton; Shene Chiou; Anne Hempel; Cathrine Hall; Komal M. Patel; Pradnya Gangatirkar; Katherine R. Martin; Connie S. N. Li Wai Suen; , Alexandra L. Garnham; Andrew J. Kueh; Ian P. Wicks; John Silke; Ueli Nachbur; Andre L. Samson, James M. Murphy; Joanne M. Hildebrand, “MLKL deficiency protects against low-grade, sterile inflammation in aged mice”, in Cell Death & Differentiation, volume 30, →DOI, pages 1059–1071

    Elevated cytokine levels in chronic viral infections are attributed to a number of stimuli. In HIV infection, chronic activation has been linked to ongoing low-grade viral replication, presence of opportunistic infections, and microbial translocation.

    2023 June 29, Elizabeth S. Mayne, Jaya A. George, Susan Louw, “Assessing Biomarkers in Viral Infection”, in Application of Omic Techniques to Identify New Biomarkers and Drug Targets for COVID-19, Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, pages 159–173

    Antonyms: high-grade

  3. Not steep; nearly level (having a low grade).

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveMinor.

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveof inferior quality

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic مُنْخَفِض الدَّرَجَة
  • مُنْخَفِض الدَّرَجَة (munḵafiḍ ad-daraja)medicine
Bulgarian долнокачествен
  • долнокачествен (dolnokačestven)of inferior quality
Finnish huonolaatuinen
  • huonolaatuinenof inferior quality
German minderwertig, geringgradig
  • minderwertigof inferior quality
  • geringgradigmedicine
Russian низкосо́ртный, низкопро́бный
  • низкосо́ртный (nizkosórtnyj)of inferior quality
  • низкопро́бный (nizkopróbnyj)of inferior quality
Spanish de baja calidad
  • de baja calidadof inferior quality
Cite this entry
APA

low-grade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low-grade

MLA

“low-grade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low-grade. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “low-grade,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low-grade.

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