Synonyms of touchstones

touchstones

noun

plural of touchstone

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• standards
• criteria
• benchmarks
• metrics
• yardsticks
• measures
• barometers
• examples
• norms
• grades
• pars
• instances
• rules
• bars
• marks
• gold standards
• pinnacles
• averages
• cases
• summits
• meridians
• zeniths
• peaks
• apexes
• acmes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deviations
• abnormalities
• aberrations

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of touchstones

Across the dozen tracks, Sivan leans heavily on ’90s touchstones, traipsing from glitch-hop to drum and bass, casting a wide net across sounds and scope. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

The monoculture is, or was, a collective frame of reference, a set of mass-cultural touchstones that everyone could assume everyone else knew about. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Paulson’s dress incorporated a few of the touchstones of dark glamour, from its dramatic silhouette to the monochrome palette. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026

And cultural touchstones are everywhere, like a jar of agua fresca in which a head is submerged at the birthday celebration, and a quinceañera tiara and scepter embedded in a victim. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

The actors also drew inspiration from some familiar sci-fi and comedy touchstones while filming. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Some went on to appear in generational touchstones, while others stayed more under the radar. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Newcastle have lost a lot of touchstones, from Howe to Guimaraes to Trippier, Gordon and Tonali. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

The book is written in fragmentary fashion, discrete chunks of prose that accrete into a greater whole, much like the ancient mosaics that are among of the novel’s thematic touchstones. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026