The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of its monomials. For example, the following polynomial has the degree 5. 4x5+x3−9x−84 This is because the monomial with highest degree is 4x5. If the polynomial consists of only constant terms, the polynomial has the degree 0. Depending on the degree of a polynomial, it can have different characteristics. For example, a polynomial with degree 1 is linear, and a polynomial with degree 2 is quadratic.