as in standards
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared
a legendary Broadway flop that has subsequently become the barometer by which failure in the theater is judged
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Recent Examples of barometers
The mercury barometers in the observers’ office — one of which the observatory believes to be the oldest such instrument in active daily use in the United States — are a case in point.
—
Laura Martin Agudelo, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
And assets under management are poor barometers of a venture fund’s success, generally.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
And besides that, with their hard-fought Final Four victories Friday over Texas and Connecticut, respectively, barometers for other programs that dream of ascending to such elite heights.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
The barometers for our rankings include Opta’s projections for the remainder of their campaign, the teams’ performances in 2025-26, relative squad strength and their history in the competition.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Besides, the issue is further complicated by the fact that there are so many barometers of greatness.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Look at all economic barometers, social gains, and life span increases.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026
And special elections, while useful metrics, are far from perfect barometers of public opinion.
—Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
The Gallup Presidential Approval Rating has for decades been the among the top barometers cited by media outlets measuring public opinion of the president’s performance.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 11 Feb. 2026
Laura Martin Agudelo, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
And assets under management are poor barometers of a venture fund’s success, generally.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
And besides that, with their hard-fought Final Four victories Friday over Texas and Connecticut, respectively, barometers for other programs that dream of ascending to such elite heights.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
The barometers for our rankings include Opta’s projections for the remainder of their campaign, the teams’ performances in 2025-26, relative squad strength and their history in the competition.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Besides, the issue is further complicated by the fact that there are so many barometers of greatness.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Look at all economic barometers, social gains, and life span increases.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026
And special elections, while useful metrics, are far from perfect barometers of public opinion.
—Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
The Gallup Presidential Approval Rating has for decades been the among the top barometers cited by media outlets measuring public opinion of the president’s performance.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barometers
Noun
-
The defense called just one witness – an expert in education administration and school safety who testified Parker did not breach professional standards or act with indifference.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
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On top of misquoting statutes and misrepresenting legal standards, the filing also made broad claims about what constitutes doxing without citing a single case to support their stance.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Both the Long Range and the Citizens Bond Advisory committees were tasked with coming up with the criteria that would be used by the district to make recommendations.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
-
The name change does not alter diagnosis criteria, and both terms will be used until new guidelines are released in 2028.—
Abby Norman,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Porter highlighted that the state should focus on ensuring students meet the educational benchmarks needed to succeed.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Still, diagnosing Grok’s troubles on benchmarks alone may be a fool’s errand.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Sources said this has not been straightforward amid shareholder uncertainty, and that some internal employee mood metrics have been below benchmarks.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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At least half of those who died since January 2025 either were described in ICE death reports as having a common chronic medical condition or were elderly; under the Biden administration’s four years, only 15% of deaths fit those metrics.—
Rob Kuznia,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barometers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barometers. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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