gra·di·ent / ˈgrādēənt/ • n. 1. an inclined part of a road or railway; a slope: fail-safe brakes for use on steep gradients. ∎  the degree of such a slope: the path becomes very rough as the gradient increases. ∎  Math. the degree of steepness of a graph at any point.2. Physics an increase or decrease in the magnitude of a property (e.g., temperature, pressure, or concentration) observed in passing from one point or moment to another. ∎  the rate of such a change. ∎ Math. the vector formed by the operator ƍ acting on a scalar function at a given point in a scalar field.

gradient In meteorology, the rate of change of a function (e.g. pressure or temperature), at right angles to the isolines.