criterion

noun

cri·​te·​ri·​on krī-ˈtir-ē-ən 

 also  krə-

plural criteria krī-ˈtir-ē-ə 

 also  krə-

also criterions

1

: a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based

the university's criteria for admission

2

: a characterizing mark or trait

Is criteria singular or plural?: Usage Guide

The plural criteria has been used as a singular for over half a century.

let me now return to the third criteria

—R. M. Nixon

that really is the criteria

—Bert Lance

Many of our examples, like the two foregoing, are taken from speech. But singular criteria is not uncommon in edited prose, and its use both in speech and writing seems to be increasing. Only time will tell whether it will reach the unquestioned acceptability of agenda.

Did you know?

One person's principal criterion for a new car may be its gas mileage, while someone else's may be whether it has room for four children. When filling a job opening, employers usually look for several criteria (notice the plural form) in the applicants; and when college admissions officers are reading student applications, they likewise always keep a few basic criteria in mind. And when interviewing an applicant, one criterion for both the employer and the admissions officer might include the size of the applicant's vocabulary!

Synonyms

• standard
• benchmark
• measure

Choose the Right Synonym for criterion

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 criterion in a Sentence

There is really only one criterion for a grab bag of culinary facts and anecdotes like this: It has to make you look up occasionally and remark, "Hey! I never knew that." —Laura Shapiro, New York Times Book Review, 25 Dec. 1994

… the induction committee waived its normal five-year retirement criteria for fear Kelley might never retire. —Todd Balf, Yankee, 4 Apr. 1992

Christo argues that art must be measured by its effect on the shape of a community. By this criterion Running Fence was enormously successful. —O. B. Hardison, Jr., Disappearing Through the Skylight, 1989

What were the criteria used to choose the winner?

one criterion for grading these essays will be their conformity to the rules of traditional grammar

Recent Examples on the Web

In practice, that means if a user is searching for a stay in a particular area with certain criteria that isn’t available, Airbnb will now suggest other rentals with similar prices and amenities in nearby areas. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025

Only Chauncey Billups, also a defendant in the poker case, fits that criterion. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025

All boasting different approaches to fashion, the finalists were revealed during Copenhagen Fashion Week in August and selected by a panel of industry experts, who assessed entries based on criteria such as design talent and originality, sustainable credentials and business strategy. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025

While an outlier in age among the other candidates, Roper does meet the criteria required to run for governor in Wisconsin. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek kritḗrion, from kri-, variant stem of krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide, judge" + -tērion, suffix of instruments — more at certain entry 1

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for criterion

• assyrian
• counterion
• hyperion
• iberian
• illyrian
• mousterian
• shakespearean
• shakespearian
• hanoverian
• presbyterian
• virion

Kids Definition

criterion

noun

cri·​te·​ri·​on krī-ˈtir-ē-ən 

plural criteria

-ē-ə

: a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based