degree [ dih-gree  ]

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Synonyms: level, stage, point, standard, grade, gradation, social class, rank, etc.

Definition of degree

noun

       1. any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale.           The doctor will determine the degree of her illness.                    2. a stage or point in or as if in progression or retrogression:             We followed the degrees of her recovery with joy. 
        3. a stage in a scale of intensity or amount:             a high degree of mastery. 

       4. extent, measure, scope, or the like:
           To what degree will he cooperate? 
       5. a stage in a scale of rank or station; relative standing in society, business, etc.:            His uncouth behavior showed him to be a man of low degree.   
       6. Education. an academic title conferred by universities and colleges as an indication of the completion of a course of study, or as an honorary recognition of achievement.           She will pursue a medical degree.
      7. a unit of measure, as of temperature or pressure, marked off on the scale of a measuring instrument:            This thermometer shows a scale of degrees between only 20° and 40° C.  
               Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
       8. a certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of relationship:            a cousin of the second degree.
      9. the distinctive classification of a crime according to its gravity:          murder in the first degree.