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

Pure technical expertise will never be the sole performance criterion.

—Tariq Samad and Gus Gaynor

… having the right pair of shoes to carry you through the day is essential. And while style is important, your criteria for travel-ready footwear should also include comfort.

—Rachel Trujillo

2

: a characterizing mark or trait

Is criteria singular or plural?: Usage Guide

Criteria is typically a plural noun referring to standards on which a judgement can be made. Its singular form is criterion, but evidence shows that criteria is frequently used as a singular as well as a plural.

one criteria

several criteria

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 of criterion

• 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

Interest in marching in the parade was so intense that organizers implemented rigorous selection criteria like the quality of the horses’ grooming, saddles, tack, and the riders’ appearance. —Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025

Tesla shareholders have approved a conditional pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could unlock up to a trillion dollars in stock if the company meets specific criteria, according to preliminary results from the annual shareholder meeting. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025

In the new paper, the authors make eight recommendations and provide a checklist to systematize benchmark criteria and improve the transparency and trust in benchmarks. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025

Senior officials said that Medicare beneficiaries seeking coverage for GLP-1 drugs for obesity would have to meet strict eligibility criteria and that these would follow Make America Healthier Again principles to address chronic disease risk factors. —Alice Park, Time, 6 Nov. 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