grade inflation WORD ORIGIN noun Education. the awarding of higher grades than students deserve either to maintain a school’s academic reputation or as a result of diminished teacher expectations. a rise in the average grade given to students. Liberaldictionary.com
Origin of grade inflation First recorded in 1980–85 Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 British Dictionary definitions for grade inflation grade inflation noun an apparently continual increase in numbers of students attaining high examination grades, or the practice of awarding grades in this way Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012