gold standard

Definition of gold standardnext
as in standard
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared the gold standard for accurate experimental procedures is the double-blind medication trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gold standard Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 World Weather Attribution — an international collaboration of scientists who examine extreme events to determine climate change’s role, if any — did that study so quickly, the report didn’t get peer reviewed, which is the scientific gold standard. Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 31 July 2026 The Women’s Health Initiative and the HABITS trial were both larger randomized trials, which are gold standards in research. Versha Pleasant, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 While charcoal grills are the affordable gold standard for many home cooks, gas grills can do nearly everything a charcoal grill can (just with slightly less smoky flavor). Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gold standard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gold standard
Noun
  • Under questioning, Patel denied that the changes reflected a lowering of employment standards and insisted they were designed to prevent victims who'd been forced to engage in that conduct from being automatically disqualified.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • No function is better positioned to set that standard than the office of the CFO.
    Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The actual amendment to the state constitution referenced in Question 3 explicitly states that the Declaration of Rights will no longer provide criteria for congressional district boundaries.
    Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Under the order, GovOps would be required to create third-party safety criteria for AI developers by May 2027 and implement them by December 2027.
    Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The office needs a benchmark built from the job itself, not from the last man to hold it.
    John Dickerson, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Productivity and Content Creation Tests Our primary overall benchmark, UL's PCMark 10, puts a system through its paces in productivity apps ranging from web browsing to word processing and spreadsheet work.
    Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gold%20standard. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on gold standard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster