criterion
Americannoun
plural
criteria, criterionsnoun
-
a standard by which something can be judged or decided
-
philosophy a defining characteristic of something
Usage
Like some other nouns borrowed from the Greek, criterion has both a Greek plural, criteria, and a plural formed on the English pattern, criterions. However, the -s plural is rarely used; the plural ending in -a is the usual form: These are the criteria for the selection of candidates. Though criteria is properly a plural noun, it is increasingly used as a singular noun, most often in speech but also occasionally in edited prose: One criteria is that the candidate must be over 18. This use of criteria as a singular noun is generally considered incorrect.
Criteria, the plural of criterion, is not acceptable as a singular noun: this criterion is not valid; these criteria are not valid
Related Words
See standard.
Other Word Forms
- criterial adjective
Etymology
Origin of criterion
First recorded in 1605–15; from Greek kritḗrion “a standard,” equivalent to kri- variant stem of krī́nein “to separate, decide” + -tērion neuter suffix of means (akin to Latin -tōrium -tory 2 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If buyers meet that criteria, their second loan falls off partially or completely after a certain period, without any financial impact to them.
From MarketWatch
Those who are unable to pay in full by January 31 may be able to set up a "time to pay" arrangement online if they owe less than £30,000 and meet the criteria.
From BBC
Plug in your criteria into our generator, and we might match you with a golf home on Kiawah Island, S.C., or a yellow Victorian in Indianapolis.
He stands to make as much as $35 billion in stock if certain criteria are met.
In addition to boosting the annual amount allocated to the production incentive program, state lawmakers expanded eligibility criteria to include new kinds of shows, including large-scale competition shows and 20-minute-per-episode shows.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
