SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
touchstone
noun
A standard used to judge the quality or validity of something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Standard for judgment
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA touchstone helps judge quality or validity. A gauge can measure an amount without serving as a standard of excellence.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See touchstone in use
Clarity became the touchstone for every revision.
Reliability became the team's touchstone when judging later designs, so a beautiful model that failed repeatedly would not win their approval.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license