touchstone

noun

touch·​stone ˈtəch-ˌstōn 

plural touchstones

1

: a fundamental or quintessential part or feature : basis

a touchstone film of that decade

now considered a touchstone of the city's life

—Michael Specter

2

: a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing

Good service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant.

3

: a black siliceous stone related to flint that is used to test the purity of gold and formerly silver by the streak left on the stone when rubbed by the metal

Did you know?

Since the early 16th century, touchstone has referred to a particular kind of siliceous stone (that is, stone containing silica) used to do a particular job: determine the purity of precious metals. The process involves comparing marks made by rubbing a sample of a metal of known purity to marks made by a metal of unknown purity. The method is accurate enough in the case of determining the purity of gold that it is still in use today. Figurative use extended from this literal use, with touchstone functioning as a word for a test or criterion to determine the quality of a thing, and later to refer to a fundamental or quintessential part or feature of something.

Synonyms

• criterion
• standard
• benchmark

Choose the Right Synonym for touchstone

standard, criterion, gauge, yardstick, touchstone mean a means of determining what a thing should be.

standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority.

standards of behavior

criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not.

questioned the critic's criteria for excellence

gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect.

polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction

yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality.

housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth

touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible.

fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

Examples of touchstone in a Sentence

Good service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant.

his book has long been a touchstone for travel writing that aspires to be literature

Recent Examples on the Web

But any agreement reached will be just one touchstone in a thorny and volatile great power rivalry between the world’s superpower democracy and an authoritarian China, whose growing military assertiveness under Xi in the East and South China Seas is rattling US allies in the region. —Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

As the Louvre grapples with the fallout, the incident has become a touchstone for concerns over museum security around the world. —Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

The ideal of the Achillean warrior lives on as a touchstone for anyone attempting to understand or reinvent military culture. —Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025

Their successful collaboration with Yale University launched earlier this year has become a creative touchstone. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for touchstone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

touchstone

noun

touch·​stone ˈtəch-ˌstōn 

1

: a black stone formerly used to test the purity of gold and silver by the streak left on the stone when rubbed by the metal

2

: a test for judging something