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
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Recent Examples of gold standard
The Post’s book coverage—chiefly via the beloved Book World section—has long been a gold standard in the industry.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
Decades later, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions remains a gold standard for Arctic exploration, with deep regional expertise across Svalbard, Greenland, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In every action, EPA applies the highest gold standard of science and analysis.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
While Rag & Bone remains my gold standard, there are plenty of more affordable options worth shopping, including polished Gap sweatpant jeans that deliver the same comfort-first appeal, plus Amazon finds starting at just $37.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gold standard
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
Decades later, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions remains a gold standard for Arctic exploration, with deep regional expertise across Svalbard, Greenland, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In every action, EPA applies the highest gold standard of science and analysis.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
While Rag & Bone remains my gold standard, there are plenty of more affordable options worth shopping, including polished Gap sweatpant jeans that deliver the same comfort-first appeal, plus Amazon finds starting at just $37.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gold standard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gold standard
Noun
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The more senior players should, in theory, be setting standards and taking their younger team-mates along with them, but appear unable to do either.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Anthropic had loosened its core safety policy to better adapt to a fast-moving market in which competitors may not abide by the same safety standards.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The new criteria includes failure to exercise impartiality in prosecutions; failure to strictly comply with the State Bar of Georgia’s code of professional conduct; failure to comply with open records laws; and failure to comply with discovery procedures.—
David Wickert,
AJC.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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The new decision tree is intended to prevent a repeat of those problems by laying out clear criteria the council must consider before putting another bond package on the ballot.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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To date, the device has met a key performance benchmark, with an average effective stiffness of 5 kN/mm over small displacements.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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Optimism in the country has been growing for a number of years as Japan embraced corporate governance reforms, but the benchmark rallied to fresh all-time highs this year following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s victory.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gold%20standard. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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