Meaning & use
centigrade
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Relating to a temperature scale on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.
Grammar: Used before a noun (centigrade scale) or after a number (20 degrees centigrade).
Patterns
- degrees centigrade
- the centigrade scale
The temperature outside reached 30 degrees centigrade.
In the centigrade scale, zero is the freezing point of water.
The recipe says to heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
noununcountable
The centigrade scale of temperature, now usually called Celsius.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used after 'in' or 'on': measured in centigrade.
Patterns
- in centigrade
- on the centigrade scale
The thermometer shows the temperature in centigrade.
Scientists now prefer to say Celsius rather than centigrade.
Common combinations
- degrees centigrade
- The water was about 80 degrees centigrade.
- centigrade scale
- The centigrade scale is widely used in Europe.
- centigrade thermometer
- A centigrade thermometer shows 0 at freezing and 100 at boiling.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Celsius
- Celsius is the modern standard term; centigrade is older and still used informally.
Commonly confused: centigrade or Fahrenheit?
centigrade vs Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is a different temperature scale where water freezes at 32 and boils at 212.
Practice
Water boils at 100 degrees ______.
Choose one answer.
Centigrade is the temperature scale where water boils at 100; the other options are unrelated units or words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “centigrade”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.