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opposite of "steep" slope

English translation: gentle slope

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English term or phrase:	opposite of "steep" slope
English translation:	gentle slope
Entered by:	Yvonne Becker

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06:08 Mar 21, 2005

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English to English translations [PRO]
Science - Engineering (general)

English term or phrase: opposite of "steep" slope

What's the opposite of "steep" slope? I'm translating a research article from Spanish and the authors are speaking of a slow increase of a property as a function of another and they make a reference to the kind of slope observed as a consequence. Thanks in advance.

Yvonne Becker KudoZ activity Questions: 2624 (1 open) (49 closed without grading) Answers: 2048
Local time: 13:19

gentle

Explanation:
normally, but I don't know whether it fits your context

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Note added at 44 mins (2005-03-21 06:52:46 GMT)
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Gentle should also be OK for graphs
http://library.thinkquest.org/20991/alg2/graphs.html

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Note added at 45 mins (2005-03-21 06:54:27 GMT)
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http://www.pslc.ws/mactest/mech.htm

Selected response from:

xxxNick Somers
Local time: 18:49

Grading comment

Thanks a lot for all your answers and all the research you're done. I'll go with the most popular answer which, by the way, has Dusty's approval (Dusty, you analysis was very, very helpful, thanks)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +9

gentle

xxxNick Somers

4 +6

gentle [see comments -- not for grading]

Tony M

4 +4

gradual slope

Tsogt Gombosuren

4 +3

shallow slope

David Sirett

small slope

Maria Karra

moderate slope, mild slope, modest slope

juvera

flat slope

Mikhail Kropotov

3 -1

gradual rise

Lesley Clayton

Discussion entries: 3

Answers

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +9

opposite of

gentle

xxxNick Somers
Local time: 18:49
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanks a lot for all your answers and all the research you're done. I'll go with the most popular answer which, by the way, has Dusty's approval (Dusty, you analysis was very, very helpful, thanks)

53 mins confidence:

opposite of steep slope flat slope

Explanation:
The electrical restitution curve revisited: steep or flat slope ...
... ERC and draws attention to mechanisms thatjustify the (physiologically) steep slope, rather than a flat slope, as a better design against arrhythmias. ...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&d...

This is due to the star presence in the 2mass data, which in turn is due to a lower wave lenght. In the slope fields of power spectrum black means very steep and bright colouring means flat slope. For the structure function bright means steep and black means flat.
http://wisp11.physics.wisc.edu/~reu2003/taylor/

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Note added at 55 mins (2005-03-21 07:03:40 GMT)
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Process Reliability Plots With Flat Line Slopes
... The probability density function (PDF) plots in Figure 1 show the flat Weibull ... The flat slope beta curve is undesirable
www.barringer1.com/may01prb.htm

Mikhail Kropotov
Russian Federation
Local time: 20:49
Native speaker of:

Russian
PRO pts in category: 4

1 hr confidence:

opposite of steep slope small slope

Explanation:
If you're describing a graph, then you can simply say "small slope", meaning that the slope has a small value. It's a very common way of saying it in math.
Here are a couple of references (although I'm speaking from experience).

Weak linear association (small r) small slope. r ≈ 0 if and only if b ≈ 0.
Same can be said for… ... Graph Scatterplot. Simple Vs. With Groups Vs. ...
mathcs.muhlenberg.edu/~cicconet/Power/M104pp05.ppt

Include the extreme cases: the graph with greatest possible slope and a graph with
a very small slope. All the graphs should include the point (61, 99). ...
www.utdanacenter.org/highered/alg1/ downloads/IV-B-CourseContent-AlgI/AlgI_2-4-6.pdf

Maria Karra
United States
Local time: 12:49
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Greek
2 corroborated select projects
in this pair and field

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

opposite of gradual rise

Explanation:
Gets away from the geographical 'slope'.

Lesley Clayton
France
Local time: 18:49
Native speaker of:

English

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

opposite of shallow slope

Explanation:
Fewer Googles than "gentle slope", but IMO better for the asker's academic/technical context, and it has not been mentioned yet.

David Sirett
Local time: 18:49
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

3 hrs confidence:

opposite of moderate slope, mild slope, modest slope

Explanation:
A few more common way to say it. Moderate is particularly suitable here.

juvera
Local time: 17:49
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Hungarian
PRO pts in category: 4

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

opposite of 'steep' on graph gentle [see comments -- not for grading]

Explanation:
I just wanted to use an answer to be able to explain at greater length one native speaker's 'feel' for the words being suggested here.

Although I agree that to a greater or lesser extent, most of the terms that have currently been suggested can be, and indeed often are, applied to graphs, 2 of the terms that have cropped up in peer comments seem to me inappropriate: 'slight', which would be OK in layman's terms, but doesn't sound particularly suitable to my ears in a more scientific context, and 'mild', which again just doesn't quite feel right.

My own preference is for 'gentle' --- not least, because it is a very commonly used antonym for 'steep' in many contexts (including graphs); also, just as one could say a 'steeply-sloping' point on the curve, one could equally well say a 'gently-sloping' point on the curve.

'Gradual' is OK, but to me is less descriptive of the QUALITY of the slope; it basically means that it is steadily progressive, which of course is what a slope is by its very nature; to my ears, it is much less expressive as to the steepness or shallowness of the curve (and there's another possible term, 'shallow'...) 'gradual' is of course highly appropriate when describing the graph of an event that is itself 'gradual' --- as is the case in certain of the references cited.

SirReal's 'flat' is a strong contender, and as he points out, to an informed readership, it should be perfectly clear; but as I said, I have some reservations because of the possible ambiguity of this term when used alone, and with a less informed readership. Imagine a sentence like this:
"Note the steep rise of the graph at the start of the process, followed by a flat downward slope, before the graph finally becomes flat" !!

Likewise, 'small' is indeed applied to graphs, but doesn't 'feel' quite right overall --- wouldn't be my first choice, although 'a small slope value dV/dT' does sound perfectly fine.

Finally, please do note that there is no suggestion of 'right' or 'wrong' in this answer, or my comments... I am merely expressing my own personal preferences, as I apply them in my own style of writing, that's all! :-)

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Note added at 11 hrs 7 mins (2005-03-21 17:16:20 GMT)
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I\'m quite surprised by Can\'s comment, as I too am a techie, and am very familiar with the term in the context of graphs --- even though I\'m sure we are all agreed that both \'steep\' and \'gentle\' are rather un-scientifically qualitative terms to be using.

When I Googled on \'gentle slope\' in connection with graphs, I came across over 1300 hits --- in itself meaningless, of course, but the ones I looked into seemed not only on-context, but also of a respectable quality of appropriately technical English.

Tony M
France
Local time: 18:49
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 31

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Mikhail Kropotov: Way to go!

3 mins

-> Cheers, Sir!

agree

xxxNick Somers: The nuances of language! Very nice :-)

39 mins

-> Thanks, Nick! Gotta stick together... ;-)))

agree

MPGS: Not being an EN native speaker I fully share your comments :) ... :)

1 hr

-> Thanks a lot, MPGS! I'm glad to hear that! :-))

agree

mstkwasa: Absolutely spot on!

2 hrs

-> Why, thanks a lot, Mstkwasa!

neutral

Johan Venter: Slight certainly is used for graphs. As a matter of fact I did graphs last week in a business English class (I still teach English part-time) and in Business Opportunities (Oxford publication) it is frequently used in a particular lesson abou graphs.

3 hrs

-> Thanks, Venter! I certainly didn't mean to suggest it COULDN'T be applied to graphs, but I think it implies a slightly different nuance...

agree

Cilian O'Tuama

8 hrs

-> Thanks, Cilian!

neutral

Can Altinbay: I agree with your sentiments, but I cannot agree that this term is used in context of graphs. (I am a techie who hates the way my colleagues use English.) Per your response: OK, and remember my stance is "neutral". I still like "shallow" better.

8 hrs

-> Thanks, Can! I'm a techie too, and it certainly doesn't shock me. /// Cheers, Can! At least I was the first to come up with 'shallow' too ;-)))

agree

Jörgen Slet: I agree with most of this, I disagree on "slight" as sounds swell to me in this context

13 hrs

-> Thanks, Jörgen! Can't agree about 'slight', but, hey...! ;-)))

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

opposite of gradual slope

Explanation:
Dictionary.com/gradual
... by regular or continuous degrees: gradual erosion; a gradual slope. ...
not steep or abrupt; "a gradual slope" [ant: steep] n : (Roman Catholic Church) ...
dictionary.reference.com/search?q=gradual

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2005-03-21 06:20:27 GMT)
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2. gradual - of a topographical gradient; not steep or abrupt; \"a gradual slope\"
inclined - at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position; \"an inclined plane\"
steep - having a sharp inclination; \"the steep attic stairs\"; \"steep cliffs\"
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gradual

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Note added at 1 day 21 hrs 27 mins (2005-03-23 03:36:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

gradual adj
2. a gradual slope is not steep
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

gradual adj
2. not rapid or steep or abrupt
The Concise Oxford Dictionary

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Note added at 1 day 21 hrs 40 mins (2005-03-23 03:48:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

gradual
not steep or abrupt; \"a gradual slope\"
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/gradual

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Note added at 1 day 21 hrs 41 mins (2005-03-23 03:50:24 GMT)
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2. gradual (vs. steep) -- (of a topographical gradient; not steep or abrupt; \"a gradual slope\")
http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn?stage=1&word=g...

Tsogt Gombosuren
Mongolia
Local time: 01:49
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Mongolian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Aimee

5 mins

-> Thank you Aimee! :-)

agree

Johan Venter: Gradual is good and "slight" is another option.

19 mins

-> Thank you Venter! :-)

agree

Attila Piróth: Both gradual and slight are fine - the Oxford Dictionary of Collocations mentions them.

51 mins

-> Thank you Attila! :-)

agree

Refugio

53 mins

-> Thank you Ruth! :-)

neutral

Tony M: Although this term certainly can be applied to graphs, it would not be my first choice for describing the shape of a curve on a graph... // Please don't adopt that tone! No 'wrong' or 'right'; I just said that personally, I don't like this term

1 hr

-> Sorry, you are wrong. Please see the following pages: http://www.physics.niu.edu/labs150/p150lab2.html, http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~rkucejko/q1s06f04.pdf and NATIVE ENGLISH Dictionaries

neutral

Cilian O'Tuama: "gradual" is sometimes used in such contexts, but as Dusty (another native speaker) points out above, there is at least one better alternative./ Nothing wrong with dreaming!

10 hrs

-> Not sometimes, but as often as "gentle" is used. You may check it via Googles. There is no rule that native speakers know better than others, i.e. other translators with extensive experience./What an offensive remark! Thank you

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English translation: gentle slope

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