metric

1 of 4

noun

met·​ric ˈme-trik 

1

: a standard of measurement

… no metric exists that can be applied directly to happiness …

—Scientific Monthly

2

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

… the analytical study of metric …

—T. S. Eliot

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

metric

2 of 4

adjective (1)

: of, relating to, or using the metric system

a metric study

see also metric system

metric

3 of 4

adjective (2)

met·​ric ˈme-trik 

variant of metrical

1

: of, relating to, or composed in meter

2

: of or relating to measurement

-metric

4 of 4

adjective combining form

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.

Synonyms of metric

Noun

• criterion
• standard
• benchmark
• measure

Examples of metric in a Sentence

Noun

according to the usual metrics by which we judge fiction, this novel is an utter failure

Adjective (1)

The metric unit of energy is the “joule.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And that, Casey said, is what separates Judge, a man obsessed with being great, a star who is always looking for an edge, a metric, a way to use every minute of every day to reach for the most distant constellation in the baseball sky. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

There’s things that get emphasized for entertainment, for bottom lines, for metrics. — David Katz, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Piping every metric and log line through a large model can rebuild the waste it was meant to remove. — Devendra Rajput, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

While the tapestry’s amplitude surpassed the metric limit, the metric itself was misleading, and the work could travel safely with no further changes. — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

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; (senses 1 and 3) probably noun derivative of metric "of measurement," earliest in mathematical use, probably after German Metrik — more at metrical

Adjective (1)

borrowed from French métrique, from mètre meter entry 3 + -ique -ic entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective (1)

1862, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing metric

• metric space
• metric system
• metric ton
• the metric system

Rhymes for metric

• metric
• allometric
• asymmetric
• barometric
• bathymetric
• biometric
• coulometric
• amperometric
• anthropometric
• antisymmetric
• audiometric
• axisymmetric

Kids Definition

metric

adjective

met·​ric

ˈme-trik

1

: of, relating to, or based on the metric system

2

: metrical sense 1

Medical Definition

metric

adjective

met·​ric ˈme-trik 

: of, relating to, or using the metric system

a metric study

metrically

-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb