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
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
Writer-director Bill Condon shares some of the obvious and more obscure touchstones for the film.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Brandon Boykin grew up in a small town that claimed a tenuous link between two cultural touchstones.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
These shows launched music careers, product lines, and global fan bases, becoming cultural touchstones for a generation.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
But as a gay man growing up in Ireland in the ’70s and ’80s, there were certain pop culture touchstones that helped him through his tough youth.
—William Earl, Variety, 21 Sep. 2025
The Bowers Museum is truly one of the cultural touchstones for those of us lucky enough to live 20 minutes away.
—Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
Those touchstones of the past are almost longing for a more analog time.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Each photograph, available for purchase, will tie the brand's rock-and-roll spirit directly into the fabric of the store, creating a living gallery of cultural touchstones.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
Writer-director Bill Condon shares some of the obvious and more obscure touchstones for the film.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Brandon Boykin grew up in a small town that claimed a tenuous link between two cultural touchstones.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
These shows launched music careers, product lines, and global fan bases, becoming cultural touchstones for a generation.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
But as a gay man growing up in Ireland in the ’70s and ’80s, there were certain pop culture touchstones that helped him through his tough youth.
—William Earl, Variety, 21 Sep. 2025
The Bowers Museum is truly one of the cultural touchstones for those of us lucky enough to live 20 minutes away.
—Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
Those touchstones of the past are almost longing for a more analog time.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Each photograph, available for purchase, will tie the brand's rock-and-roll spirit directly into the fabric of the store, creating a living gallery of cultural touchstones.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstones
Noun
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Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
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For starters, he or she will be armed with some of the top TV and film incentives in the nation, crediting up to 40 percent of qualified expenses against taxes for productions that meet a series of minimum standards.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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One of the key criteria is for the shows to have a Spanish – or Catalan – premiere for the national series, and international shows need to have been distributed in the domestic country within a year.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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Back in August, however, that seemed to be the criteria, at least in the war of words waging on social media.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But last spring, the Kansas State Board of Education restored the district to full accreditation based on school officials’ plan for meeting state academic benchmarks.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
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New Mexico typically ranks either last or close to it among states in other benchmarks for child well-being—like education.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touchstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstones. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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