timescale

noun

time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl 

: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the relative or absolute duration or antiquity of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time

Examples of timescale in a Sentence

When considered on the 4.6 billion year timescale of the Earth, our lives can seem insignificant.

What is the timescale for completion of the work?

Recent Examples on the Web

The landslides are evidence that the icy world is still active, albeit on geological timescales. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 July 2026

But an equilibrium computer must reach equilibrium to complete its calculation, while a nonequilibrium computer can be designed to complete its calculation on a set timescale. — Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026

This heat drives more melting and more basaltic volcanism, a process that plays out not just in the minutes-to-hours timescale of the actual collision, but in tens or even hundreds of millions of years afterward. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026

The original plan was for the stadium to be open by 2021, but the timescale has shifted so many times. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for timescale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

timescale

noun

time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl 

: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the duration or age of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time