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 spectrums
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of scales
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 3 Oct. 2025
The new species was identified by its fin shape, scales, body proportions, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
The scales are tipping, and fast.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
That ingenuity extends to creating scales for what has yet to be measured.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2025
Manage scales and aphids using horticultural oil following label instructions.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner last weekend balanced the scales of the past seven Premier League encounters between the sides — two victories each, plus three draws.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Similar to going carry-on-only, luggage scales have become increasingly popular this year among budget-conscious travelers.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
These tiny pathways mimic the directional water transport seen in lizard scales and leaf veins, creating dedicated escape routes for water while simultaneously providing additional oxygen delivery paths.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Marco Argenti, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Now, as the magnitude of the space junk problem rapidly scales up, technological responses are ramping up as well.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Sep. 2025
Starbucks scales back Your town could soon have one fewer Starbucks.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
As production scales up, the company will face the challenge of translating such demonstrations into practical, everyday applications.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
As the brand scales across North America, the bet is that common sense, done uncommonly well, is exactly what the market has been waiting for.
—Simon Mainwaring, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
As Waymo scales up service, riders will eventually be able to use the Lyft app to match with an autonomous vehicle, too, Waymo says, though the company wouldn’t specify when riders could expect that to take place.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Models of star formation suggest the size of the jets scales with the size of the star producing them.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
Matter clumped and clustered together under the relentless pull of gravity, and structures grew and grew on progressively larger scales.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 3 Oct. 2025
The new species was identified by its fin shape, scales, body proportions, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
The scales are tipping, and fast.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
That ingenuity extends to creating scales for what has yet to be measured.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2025
Manage scales and aphids using horticultural oil following label instructions.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner last weekend balanced the scales of the past seven Premier League encounters between the sides — two victories each, plus three draws.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Similar to going carry-on-only, luggage scales have become increasingly popular this year among budget-conscious travelers.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
These tiny pathways mimic the directional water transport seen in lizard scales and leaf veins, creating dedicated escape routes for water while simultaneously providing additional oxygen delivery paths.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
This principle scales down to the individual level.
—Marco Argenti, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Now, as the magnitude of the space junk problem rapidly scales up, technological responses are ramping up as well.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Sep. 2025
Starbucks scales back Your town could soon have one fewer Starbucks.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
As production scales up, the company will face the challenge of translating such demonstrations into practical, everyday applications.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
As the brand scales across North America, the bet is that common sense, done uncommonly well, is exactly what the market has been waiting for.
—Simon Mainwaring, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
As Waymo scales up service, riders will eventually be able to use the Lyft app to match with an autonomous vehicle, too, Waymo says, though the company wouldn’t specify when riders could expect that to take place.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Models of star formation suggest the size of the jets scales with the size of the star producing them.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scales
Verb
-
The Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey is an ongoing research program that measures consumer attitudes and behaviors relating to apparel, shopping, fashion, sustainability, and more.—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
-
What To Know The SSA determines the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which measures inflation based on the spending patterns of working-age urban households rather than retirees.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tensile strength gauges the maximum force a material can withstand before breaking when pulled apart.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
-
But overall, the popularity of different computer languages could become as obscure a topic as the relative popularity of railway track gauges.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scales. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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