rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

-ˌbrik

1

a

: an authoritative rule

especially : a rule for conduct of a liturgical service

b(1)

: name, title

specifically : the title of a statute

(2)

: something under which a thing is classed : category

the sensations falling under the general rubric, "pressure"

—F. A. Geldard

c

: an explanatory or introductory commentary : gloss

specifically : an editorial interpolation

2

: a heading of a part of a book or manuscript done or underlined in a color (such as red) different from the rest

3

: an established rule, tradition, or custom

4

: a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests

rubric adjective

or rubrical

ˈrü-bri-kəl 

rubrically

ˈrü-bri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Centuries ago, whenever manuscript writers inserted special instructions or explanations into a book, they put them in red ink to set them off from the black used in the main text. (They used the same practice to highlight saints' names and holy days in calendars, a practice which gave us the term red-letter day.) Ultimately, such special headings or comments came to be called rubrics, a term that traces back to ruber, the Latin word for "red." While the printing sense remains in use today, rubric also has an extended sense referring to any class or category under which something is organized.

Synonyms

• caption
• head
• header
• heading
• headline
• title

Examples of rubric in a Sentence

the rubrics at the beginning of the chapters are intended to be humorous

the rubric, popular among jewelers anyway, that a man should spend a month's salary on his fiancée's engagement ring

Recent Examples on the Web

Keep it data-driven, develop the rubrics, score the submissions and tally up the results. —Peter Karlson, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

But whatever the rubric used, whatever credentials are necessary, whatever contexts and extras factor in, Gabby Thomas is qualified. —Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024

Monteiro’s rubric, called NOVA, separates foods into four categories. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024

In the initial 2023 lawsuit, about 100 school districts argued that the TEA had unfairly recalibrated the rubric for scoring and waited too long to communicate those changes, and that those adjustments would result in lower scores for many districts. —Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rubrike red ocher, heading in red letters of part of a book, from Anglo-French, from Latin rubrica, from rubr-, ruber red

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

1

: a name or heading under which something is classified : classification

different problems under the general rubric of ecology

2

: an explanation or set of instructions at the beginning of a text (as a book)

3

: a guide listing criteria for grading or scoring tests, projects, or papers

Legal Definition

rubric

noun

ru·​bric ˈrü-brik 

: an established rule, tradition, or custom