metric

1 of 3

noun

met·ric ˈme-trik

Synonyms of metric next

metrics plural : a part of prosody that deals with metrical (see metrical sense 1) structure

the analytical study of metric—

T. S. Eliot

: a standard of measurement

no metric exists that can be applied directly to happiness—

Scientific Monthly

: 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

metric

2 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or using the metric system

a metric study

-metric

3 of 3

adjective combining form

variants or -metrical

: of, employing, or obtained by (such) a meter

galvanometric

: 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.

Example Sentences

Noun according to the usual metrics by which we judge fiction, this novel is an utter failure Adjective The metric unit of energy is the “joule.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Vulnerability Statistics Vulnerability escape rate is a metric that measures the rate at which vulnerabilities are introduced into an application and, subsequently, escape detection by security controls. —

Vince Arneja, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Over a six week stretch following the Dec. 10 loss against Saint Mary’s through January, the Aztecs ranked 12th nationally in offensive efficiency, according to the T-rank metric that filters data by date. —

Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023 In comparison, Baylor ranks 213th using the same metric. —

Michael Arinze, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2023 To round out the new sleep features, Oura is adding a new Sleep Regularity metric. —

Victoria Song, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2023 The new performance metric, if that’s what it can be called, is classic Musk. —

Kylie Robison, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2023 Using math because who can dispute math and numbers, the league has cooked up a metric to sell everyone on the new schedules. —

Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 6 Mar. 2023 Of course, much of that compensation will depend on performance (specifically on share price, a metric that few media or entertainment companies have been able to deliver on recently). —

Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2023 The state snow measurements focus on the amount of water in the snow, not other qualities like depth, because this metric helps gauge future water supplies. —

Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2023

Adjective

Features: Handrail with controls, digital metric display, remote control, Bluetooth speaker | Weight: 77.2 lbs. —

Barbara Bellesi Zito, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2023 The line counter’s backlit digital display is easy to read in addition to displaying line count in metric and standard units. —

Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023 Making sense of his experience, for Auden, involved synthesizing in his art the disparate and divided, using formal principles, metric or syllabic or stanzaic. —

Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2023 In February, a measure of services inflation that excludes housing — a metric the Fed watches very closely — picked up notably on a monthly basis. —

Joe Rennison Joe Rennison Emily Flitter Joe Rennison Erin Griffith Erin Griffith Ben Casselman Emily Flitter Emily Flitter Rob Copeland Joe Rennison Jeanna Smialek Jeanna Smialek Joe Rennison Ben Casselman Ben Casselman Jeanna Smialek Jeanna Smialek Ben Casselman Ben Casselman Joe Rennison Jeanna Smialek Jeanna Smialek Ben Casselman Ben Casselman Jeanna Smialek Ben Casselman Joe Rennison Ben Casse, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023 Jiménez was the slowest worker on the A’s staff in 2022, according to Statcast’s pitch tempo metric. —

Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2023 By just about any metric, new or old, when healthy, he is considered the best pitcher in baseball. —

Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023 The Mars Climate Orbiter mishap back in 1999 — a $125 million error that came down to being confused over metric units — had given the scientists something to prove, understandably. —

K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2022 SmartAsset also listed which of the safest cities were the most affordable by using a home affordability metric — median annual housing costs as a percentage of median household income. —

Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

metric "metrical art, prosody" (in part borrowed from Late Latin metrica —short for ars metrica "metrical art"— from feminine of Latin metricus "metrical, rhythmic," borrowed from Greek metrikós; in part borrowed from Greek metrikḗ —short for metrikḕ téchnē "metrical craft"— or metriká, from, respectively, feminine singular and neuter plural of metrikós "by measurement, metrical") + -ics; (sense 2-3) probably noun derivative of metric "of measurement," earliest in mathematical use, probably after German Metrik — more at metrical