Home/Rootonym Answers/September 7, 2026

USA Today Rootonym September 7, 2026 Answers

All 4 root words from the Monday Rootonym — each answer with its root and what the root means.

Monday4 wordsUSA Today
GRAD**** GRADstep, go, walk, degree GRADIENT

The rate of ascent or descent: inclination; an upward or downward slope (noun)

Workmen sanded the steep ________ of the icy road to allow cars to proceed.

GRAD**** GRADstep, go, walk, degree GRADUATE

To grant or receive a diploma or an academic degree (verb)

High school seniors will ________ once they satisfy necessary course requirements.

GRAD***** GRADstep, go, walk, degree GRADUALLY

Advancing, changing or moving in small degrees; step-by-step; bit-by-bit (adverb)

The soccer player practiced constantly, ________ gaining skills for a starting position.

*****GRAD* GRADstep, go, walk, degree RETROGRADE

Moving or tending backwards; reverting to an earlier or inferior condition; inverse or reversed (adjective)

Bill has a ________ sinus infection that has not yet responded to antibiotics.

About this puzzle

This page lists all root words from the USA Today Rootonym published on September 7, 2026. Each card shows the masked word as it appears in the puzzle, the shared root with its meaning, the full answer, and the definition. Tap any definition to open that word's page with its example sentence.