Synonyms of scales

scales 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of scale

as in balances

a device for measuring weight

I hate getting on the bathroom scale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• balances
• gravimeters

scales

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of scale

as in plates

a small thin piece of material that resembles an animal scale

scales of mica were embedded in the granite

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plates
• sheets
• lamellae
• chips
• laminae
• slivers
• flakes
• slices
• leaves
• splinters
• splints

scales

3 of 4

noun (3)

plural of scale

1

as in hierarchies

a scheme of rank or order

a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hierarchies
• ladders
• rankings
• series
• graduations
• orderings
• levels
• sequences
• arrays
• distributions
• food chains
• degrees
• setups
• situations
• arrangements
• stations
• positions
• disposals
• reaches
• footings
• dispositions
• places
• pecking orders
• statuses
• rungs
• spots
• standings
• echelons

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

• ranges
• spectra
• diapasons
• widths
• stretches
• gamuts
• dimensions
• spreads
• measures
• scopes
• amplitudes
• pitches
• realms
• reaches
• sweeps
• extents
• compasses
• ambits

scales

4 of 4

verb

present tense third-person singular of scale

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

• measures
• gauges
• weighs
• spans
• assesses
• estimates
• judges
• computes
• ascertains
• figures
• calibrates
• evaluates
• calipers
• values
• quantifies
• sums
• calculates
• marks (off)
• determines
• quantitates
• tallies
• appraises
• totals
• figures out
• lays off
• guesses
• finds out
• adds up
• works out
• ciphers
• conjectures
• valuates
• guesstimates
• discovers
• supposes
• reckons
• dopes (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scales

Noun

The Beijing entrepreneur spent the summer as chief financial officer of a start-up selling digital scales. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

The company will now evaluate its separation platform against relevant scandium-bearing feedstocks, with the initial research focused on determining whether the technology can support high-purity scandium recovery at larger scales. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026

The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Researchers have long thought that in a turbulent system like a current of water, energy flows in only one direction, from larger scales to smaller ones, or vice versa, depending on the system’s dimensions. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

The Operational Drag Problem As companies scale, administrative overhead scales with them. — Kylie Fuentes, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Mason said experts in her field do not deny the existence of authoritarian personalities on the left, but ended up developing other, less partisan scales including one based on people's values for raising children. — Lisa Hagen, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Invoked in the above passage is a surreal merger of scales, big and small. — Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026

The thing is, these tiny, toothlike scales are what ichthyologists call dermal denticles. — New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026

Verb

True scale requires shifting from speculative vibe coding to a stateful, viable coding paradigm that scales trust at the speed of innovation. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Drone battery output scales The converted production line will add to Amprius’ existing manufacturing network spanning the United States, South Korea and China. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Refillable options are no longer confined to specialty stores, and the gap with traditional sticks is narrowing as the category scales. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Someone comfortable risking a larger sum finds better value in BetMGM’s loss insurance model, which scales all the way up to $1,500. — Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

To quantify this effect, the team modeled the drop as a conducting sphere hovering over a conducting wall, then calculated how the field strength scales with distance. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

The hope is that as the infrastructure matures and costs come down, commercial activity increasingly scales alongside it. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026