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
That’s what makes pilots the best barometers for how well a piece of luggage works.
—
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
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
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barometers
Noun
-
The service Generations of LMR ownership have upheld high standards for property staff to deliver top-notch western hospitality.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
The group said Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all maintenance requirements established by the FAA.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Additional social media apps that meet the criteria can be added to the ban, the premier said.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But with the current criteria and format, that’s always going to happen, especially with Group of Five champions earning automatic bids.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Ohio pays nursing homes a daily rate for Medicaid residents and provides additional payments to facilities that meet certain quality benchmarks.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Separate asset-class teams fill each bucket and try to beat individual benchmarks.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
These metrics are presented as a solution to performance variances often observed in other battery chemistries under extreme weather conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Most organizations do not have clear metrics for leadership performance, and most L&D teams aren’t measuring the impact of their programs.—
Lavinia Mehedintu,
Big Think,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barometers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barometers. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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