as in balances
a device for measuring weight
I hate getting on the bathroom scale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in hierarchies
a scheme of rank or order
a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in ranges
the distance or extent between possible extremes
with the scale going from one to ten, what did you think of the movie?
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in measures
to find out the size, extent, or amount of
scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scales
Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
But there are still other redistricting maps in the works in several other states that could tip the scales in Republicans' favor.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
To solve this conundrum and to discover if dark matter could be governed by a fifth, thus far unknown fundamental force, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) set about determining if dark matter falls into cosmic gravity wells on vast scales just as ordinary matter does.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
On a $400,000 loan, that initial discount translates into $200 or more in monthly savings, enough to tip the scales for first-time buyers or those seeking a larger property.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
The internet has tilted the scales of skincare once again, this time, in favor of an approach that claims to help achieve a glow from the inside out.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Both zeroed in on age-old scales and harmonies, extracted them from their usual contexts, and transformed them into objects of contemplation.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Trends develop from all corners of the world, at micro and macro scales.
—Maya Chawla, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
And some Republicans are shrugging off any one issue as being influential enough to tip the scales.
—ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
As Puck, the media company led by co-founder and editor-in-chief Jon Kelly, scales up with the acquisition of Air Mail, founder Graydon Carter is stepping back.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
When that kind of listening behavior scales up across an entire population, and audiences are spread thin, the cultural conversation quiets.
—Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead of rollups, Pierce’s team scales with a repeatable, specialty-by-specialty playbook—standardized contracts, automated onboarding, and shared data pipes.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Indianapolis offers winter shelter as homelessness rises The city has started offering emergency winter shelter in recent years as Indy's largest shelter provider, Wheeler Mission, scales back its overflow capacity amid rising homelessness.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
This model takes different experiments (borrowing against reserves, testing settlement, improving transparency) and scales them into a system that can support global liquidity.
—Luke Xie, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The maximum level is decent, but the output clearly scales non-linearly toward 100%.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2025
This principle scales down to the individual level.
—Marco Argenti, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
In contexts not concerning the elite private colleges of New England and their decades-old conflicts and syllabi and on-campus squabbles, this mode of prestige media procedure matters absolutely and enormously, at scales difficult to tabulate.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
But there are still other redistricting maps in the works in several other states that could tip the scales in Republicans' favor.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
To solve this conundrum and to discover if dark matter could be governed by a fifth, thus far unknown fundamental force, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) set about determining if dark matter falls into cosmic gravity wells on vast scales just as ordinary matter does.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
On a $400,000 loan, that initial discount translates into $200 or more in monthly savings, enough to tip the scales for first-time buyers or those seeking a larger property.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
The internet has tilted the scales of skincare once again, this time, in favor of an approach that claims to help achieve a glow from the inside out.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Both zeroed in on age-old scales and harmonies, extracted them from their usual contexts, and transformed them into objects of contemplation.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Trends develop from all corners of the world, at micro and macro scales.
—Maya Chawla, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
And some Republicans are shrugging off any one issue as being influential enough to tip the scales.
—ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
And if the tech scales globally, millions of pregnancy tests, disease-detection strips, and farm-diagnostic kits could end their decades-long dependence on petroleum plastics.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
As Puck, the media company led by co-founder and editor-in-chief Jon Kelly, scales up with the acquisition of Air Mail, founder Graydon Carter is stepping back.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
When that kind of listening behavior scales up across an entire population, and audiences are spread thin, the cultural conversation quiets.
—Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead of rollups, Pierce’s team scales with a repeatable, specialty-by-specialty playbook—standardized contracts, automated onboarding, and shared data pipes.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Indianapolis offers winter shelter as homelessness rises The city has started offering emergency winter shelter in recent years as Indy's largest shelter provider, Wheeler Mission, scales back its overflow capacity amid rising homelessness.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
This model takes different experiments (borrowing against reserves, testing settlement, improving transparency) and scales them into a system that can support global liquidity.
—Luke Xie, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The maximum level is decent, but the output clearly scales non-linearly toward 100%.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2025
This principle scales down to the individual level.
—Marco Argenti, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scales
Verb
-
The Education Department also measures growth by assessing progress among students at the bottom 25%.—
Dmitry Martirosov,
Arkansas Online,
12 Nov. 2025
-
That’s a sizable rival to YouTube TV, and early data from research firm Apptopia (which measures app downloads, not subscription sign-ups) showed Fubo to be the leading beneficiary of people switching providers.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Counter Culture starts you off with a quick quiz that gauges your preferences.—
Brittany Loggins,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Flood forecasts Along the coast, moderate to major flooding is forecast at nearly three dozen tide gauges from North Carolina to Long Island over the weekend, including the Chesapeake and Delaware bays.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scales. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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