litmus test
noun
Did you know?
Litmus Test Has Scientific Origins
It was in the 14th century that scientists discovered that litmus, a mixture of colored organic compounds obtained from lichen, turns red in acid solutions and blue in alkaline solutions and, thus, can be used as an acid-base indicator. Six centuries later, people began using litmus test figuratively. It can now refer to any single factor that establishes the true character of something or causes it to be assigned to one category or another. Often it refers to something (such as an opinion about a political or moral issue) that can be used to make a judgment about whether someone or something is acceptable or not.
Examples of litmus test in a Sentence
Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2025
However, even one Democratic win will be seen as a litmus test for the Trump administration's popularity after a host of executive actions and other policy efforts that have divided Americans and threaten to bite into the GOP's post-November popularity.
—Tom Norton, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
The denial Saturday by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals is the latest twist in Musk's deep involvement in the race, which has set a record for spending in a judicial election and has become a litmus test for the opening months of Donald Trump's presidency.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2025
Jeff Bezos mandated this—not as a writing drill, but as a litmus test.
—Daniel Lotzof, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for litmus test
Cite this Entry
“Litmus test.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litmus%20test. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share