timescale

noun

time·scale | \ ˈtīm-ˌskāl

Definition of timescale

: 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 only explanation is that our timescale is wrong. — Quanta Magazine, "The New Historian of the Smash That Made the Himalayas," 14 Apr. 2021 Extrapolating the new iPhone 13 production timescale, however, puts it in line with the iPhone 11 which hit shop shelves on September 20. — Gordon Kelly, Forbes, "New Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Release Shock," 7 Apr. 2021 In a country that can afford and produce vaccines in such a scale and timescale, perhaps there is good reason to feel some guilt. — Elizabeth Lanphier, The Conversation, "Vaccine guilt is good – as long it doesn’t stop you from getting a shot," 7 Apr. 2021 The team compared their new timescale with site records from caves, ice cores and peat bogs around the world. — Amy Woodyatt, CNN, "Reversal of Earth's magnetic poles may have triggered Neanderthal extinction -- and it could happen again," 19 Feb. 2021 Scientists analyzed the rings found in ancient New Zealand kauri trees, some which had been preserved in sediments for more than 40,000 years, to create a timescale of how Earth's atmosphere changed over time. — Amy Woodyatt, CNN, "Reversal of Earth's magnetic poles may have triggered Neanderthal extinction -- and it could happen again," 19 Feb. 2021 Available information before this study was mostly reconstructed indirectly, partially conjectured and usually given on an annual timescale rather than daily or monthly. — Gary Stix, Scientific American, "A Biologist Reconstructs the Grotesque Efficiency of the Nazis’ Killing Machine," 10 Jan. 2019 Reef islands grow vertically too, on a smaller timescale. — Jamie Zvirzdin, The New Republic, "The Complicated Truth of Climate Change in the Marshall Islands," 1 Jan. 2021 Developing vaccines can be a lengthy process, but the yearly flu vaccine is produced on a much shorter timescale than some other shots. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, "Why isn’t more COVID-19 vaccine available immediately?," 28 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'timescale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.