1
metrics plural
: a part of prosody that deals with metrical (see metrical sense 1) structure
… the analytical study of metric …—T. S. Eliot
2
: a standard of measurement
… no metric exists that can be applied directly to happiness …—Scientific Monthly
3
: a mathematical function that associates a real nonnegative number analogous to distance with each pair of elements in a set such that the number is zero only if the two elements are identical, the number is the same regardless of the order in which the two elements are taken, and the number associated with one pair of elements plus that associated with one member of the pair and a third element is equal to or greater than the number associated with the other member of the pair and the third element
: of, relating to, or using the metric system
a metric study
variants
or -metrical
1
: of, employing, or obtained by (such) a meter
galvanometric
2
: of or relating to (such) an art, process, or science of measuring
geometrical
Did you know?
The metric system was invented in France in the years following the French Revolution, and a version of it is now used in most of the world to measure distance, weight, and volume. Basic metric units include the kilogram (the basic unit of weight), the liter (the basic unit of volume), and of course the meter (the basic unit of length—see below). Metric—or more often metrical—can also refer to the basic underlying rhythm of songs and poetry. So while the scientists' measurements are usually metric, the poets' are usually metrical.
Cite this Entry
“Metric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metric. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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