(sewing) To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out.
(intransitive) To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another.
“He depicts the contours, imperfections, and beauty distinct to an individual face by gradating the color and dripping the paint.”
“So much as the Quintet sounds like a small string orchestra, they do not drown out the middle parts in the compact sound, clearly gradating the individual instrumental lines.”
“Today, in all the probability and logic theories, there seems to be an emerging sense of the need to confront the limited precision of humans in gradating their beliefs.”