litmus test

noun

Definition of litmus testnext
as in challenge
something (such as an opinion about a political or moral issue) that is used to make a judgment about whether someone or something is acceptable The party is using attitudes about gun control as a litmus test for political candidates.

Related Words

Relevance

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 litmus test The real litmus test will be how DEFA works for ordinary people and businesses. — Jon M. Huntsman, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026 The speech is also a kind of litmus test for translators and adaptors, an opportunity for a politically progressive character to let rip not simply against general human hypocrisy but against the particular sins of a moment. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Support for moratoriums on data center construction has become a litmus test for some voters, progressive and otherwise. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 The fight between El-Sayed, who hails from the left flank of the Democratic Party, and moderate Stevens drew national attention as a kind of litmus test of progressivism in a key battleground state. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for litmus test
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litmus test
  1. challenge
  2. gauntlet
  3. acid test
  4. trial
  5. litmus
Noun
  • Their findings, published in Langmuir, could help address the challenges the industry faces with conventional liquid and gel propellants, including fuel movement inside tanks and pumping fuel into engines.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Here are some thoughts on today’s game and a major challenge of this rebuild.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of challenge
Noun
  • What made the Trojans’ previous losses so galling was the gauntlet ahead of them, starting with Ohio State.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The gauntlet of the NFC West awaits with a home game against the 49ers in two weeks and back-to-back road trips (with a bye in between) to take on the Seahawks and Rams.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of gauntlet
Noun
  • Self-translation is the acid test for one’s writing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
  • But the way Arsenal are performing, a very tight victory seems the most likely outcome before the acid test away to Manchester City next weekend.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of acid test
Noun
  • Au Kam San, a Macao pro-democracy former lawmaker, was sentenced to 12½ years in prison after a closed-door trial that raised concerns about fairness in the Chinese casino hub's first national security case since the law was enacted in 2009.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The case was one of several lawsuits related to the social media personal injury trial that Meta and YouTube lost earlier this year.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of trial
Noun
  • But if President Xi does make a move, whether by mounting a full-scale attack or using his military to blockade the island, the key question will be where such actions fall on the litmus scale.
    — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2025
  • One of the best was the part about enjoying the season and not making playoff success your litmus for hockey fandom happiness.
    — Murat Ates, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
Definition of litmus

Browse Nearby Words

litmuses
litmus test
litmus tests
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Litmus test.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litmus%20test. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cockamamie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All