as in standards
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared
this essay will be the yardstick by which I grade the others
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Recent Examples of yardsticks
And according to my scorecard, which averaged grades across five economic yardsticks, Powell’s eight years at the helm earned the second-worst California-centric score compared with the previous four central bank bosses.
—
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
Other yardsticks show a similar trend, such as a March 18 survey commissioned by the California Democratic Party showing the two GOP candidates on top with Swalwell, Porter and Steyer in a three-way tie for third.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The Red Scare period of blacklisting is a case study of the dangers of using political yardsticks to measure journalists.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
It is flanked on all sides by footlong rulers (emblazoned, like the yardsticks, with an assortment of penitent phrases including YES, SISTER and NO, SISTER) marking the hours.
—Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The gauge is based on short interest, margin debt, sentiment surveys and several other yardsticks used to gauge what investors are thinking and doing.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025
In the matter of handmade placards—Magic Marker on cardboard, duct-taped to wooden yardsticks—there was a certain amount of politico-literary one-upmanship.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
The machine learning field is moving fast, and the yardsticks used measure progress in it are having to race to keep up.
—Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2025
Traditional yardsticks like revenue and profit matter less than the company’s ETH stash.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
Other yardsticks show a similar trend, such as a March 18 survey commissioned by the California Democratic Party showing the two GOP candidates on top with Swalwell, Porter and Steyer in a three-way tie for third.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The Red Scare period of blacklisting is a case study of the dangers of using political yardsticks to measure journalists.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
It is flanked on all sides by footlong rulers (emblazoned, like the yardsticks, with an assortment of penitent phrases including YES, SISTER and NO, SISTER) marking the hours.
—Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The gauge is based on short interest, margin debt, sentiment surveys and several other yardsticks used to gauge what investors are thinking and doing.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025
In the matter of handmade placards—Magic Marker on cardboard, duct-taped to wooden yardsticks—there was a certain amount of politico-literary one-upmanship.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
The machine learning field is moving fast, and the yardsticks used measure progress in it are having to race to keep up.
—Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2025
Traditional yardsticks like revenue and profit matter less than the company’s ETH stash.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yardsticks
Noun
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The defense called just one witness – an expert in education administration and school safety who testified Parker did not breach professional standards or act with indifference.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
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On top of misquoting statutes and misrepresenting legal standards, the filing also made broad claims about what constitutes doxing without citing a single case to support their stance.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Both the Long Range and the Citizens Bond Advisory committees were tasked with coming up with the criteria that would be used by the district to make recommendations.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
-
The name change does not alter diagnosis criteria, and both terms will be used until new guidelines are released in 2028.—
Abby Norman,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Porter highlighted that the state should focus on ensuring students meet the educational benchmarks needed to succeed.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Still, diagnosing Grok’s troubles on benchmarks alone may be a fool’s errand.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Sources said this has not been straightforward amid shareholder uncertainty, and that some internal employee mood metrics have been below benchmarks.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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At least half of those who died since January 2025 either were described in ICE death reports as having a common chronic medical condition or were elderly; under the Biden administration’s four years, only 15% of deaths fit those metrics.—
Rob Kuznia,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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