as in standards
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
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Recent Examples of touchstones
Still, her work with Welch’s remains one of the most enduring touchstones of her early career.
—
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor took his ceremonial oath of office on the steps of City Hall, with thousands of people lining several Manhattan blocks and a slate of celebrities championing him with Millennial cultural touchstones.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
Some shows were educational, some were pure, glorious junk food for the mind, and others became cultural touchstones.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 30 Dec. 2025
Its collection ranges from classic cars and early aviation to industrial machinery and pop-culture touchstones like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
From the beginning, Stranger Things has relied on ’80s pop-culture touchstones, drawing heavily on the elements and aesthetics of Steven Spielberg’s blockbusters and Stephen King’s best sellers.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The orchestral ballads on The Bends and XO are particular touchstones, but his music can also bring to mind Rufus Wainwright or even the quieter side of Queen.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
But some of the key touchstones — a mix of music and stories, a centering of children with candles — are present.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
And his signature projects, the Ninth Street Incline and the Eighth Street Tunnel, became touchstones of local transit lore, reminding future generations of the ingenuity that tamed Kansas City’s hills.
—Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor took his ceremonial oath of office on the steps of City Hall, with thousands of people lining several Manhattan blocks and a slate of celebrities championing him with Millennial cultural touchstones.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
Some shows were educational, some were pure, glorious junk food for the mind, and others became cultural touchstones.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 30 Dec. 2025
Its collection ranges from classic cars and early aviation to industrial machinery and pop-culture touchstones like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
From the beginning, Stranger Things has relied on ’80s pop-culture touchstones, drawing heavily on the elements and aesthetics of Steven Spielberg’s blockbusters and Stephen King’s best sellers.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
The orchestral ballads on The Bends and XO are particular touchstones, but his music can also bring to mind Rufus Wainwright or even the quieter side of Queen.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
But some of the key touchstones — a mix of music and stories, a centering of children with candles — are present.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
And his signature projects, the Ninth Street Incline and the Eighth Street Tunnel, became touchstones of local transit lore, reminding future generations of the ingenuity that tamed Kansas City’s hills.
—Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstones
Noun
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The state spent more than $20 billion without uniform standards to measure effectiveness.—
Julie Watts,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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In Hong Kong, this positions MKS to contribute to the HKPMCC’s governance and system design, ensuring interoperability with global standards.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Trump made no secret of the most important criteria — a willingness to slash rates lower and keep them low.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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To protect against agents who intentionally overlook houses represented by low-fee agents, continue to use online search engines and broker websites to look for houses that meet your criteria.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Markets such as silver and platinum are a fraction of the size of gold or major equity benchmarks like the S & P 500, meaning the recent influx of speculative capital is having an outsized impact on prices.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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On standard robotic manipulation benchmarks, Cosmos Policy achieved high success rates across multi-step tasks that require long-term reasoning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touchstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstones. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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