touchstone

as in criterion
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared his book has long been a touchstone for travel writing that aspires to be literature

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun touchstone contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of touchstone are criterion, gauge, standard, and yardstick. While all these words mean "a means of determining what a thing should be," touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible.

fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

When could criterion be used to replace touchstone?

The words criterion and touchstone can be used in similar contexts, but criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not.

questioned the critic's criteria for excellence

Where would gauge be a reasonable alternative to touchstone?

Although the words gauge and touchstone have much in common, gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect.

polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction

When can standard be used instead of touchstone?

While the synonyms standard and touchstone are close in meaning, standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority.

standards of behavior

How do yardstick and criterion relate to one another, in the sense of touchstone?

Yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality.

housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth

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 touchstone Finally, anchor this reset with a spiritual touchstone. Essence, 8 Sep. 2025 Working-class Scranton became a touchstone in Biden's political narrative during his long political career. Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025 Simplicity is a touchstone of The Row’s collections, emphasizing precise tailoring with structure for ready-to-wear dresses, footwear, handbags and other apparel. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025 How will Baldwin, whose Spanish accent micro-scandal remains a pop culture touchstone, pronounce—and dance—the Paso Doble? Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for touchstone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstone
Noun
  • To maintain comparability, the weights assigned to these criteria have been held constant.
    Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In ants, hair is one of the criteria that helps differentiate species.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Since many of Yiwu's products don't meet EU compliance standards, that limits how much businesses can sell to Europe, Monga said.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Roads, bridges, power grids, and water systems fueled industrialization and lifted living standards.
    Maurice Obeid, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The fund’s performance in the first seven months of the year — the most recent Boston Partners has made available on its performance — has comfortably outperformed that of the MSCI World Index, which its management team uses as a comparative benchmark index.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • For Unitree, the G1 represents an attempt to rival the achievements of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, long considered the benchmark for agile, dynamic humanoid robots.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Touchstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstone. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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