gold standard

American  

noun

1. a monetary system with gold of specified weight and fineness as the unit of value.

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gold standard British  

noun

1. a monetary system in which the unit of currency is defined with reference to gold

2. the supreme example of something against which others are judged or measured

   the current gold standard for breast cancer detection

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gold standard Cultural  

1. A system in which a nation's currency has a value measured in gold and can be exchanged for gold. Most nations, including the United States, went off the gold standard in the 1930s.

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Etymology

Origin of gold standard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

“Only through radical transparency and gold standard science, will we earn it back.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

I Googled “Philadelphia public radio” and found WXPN, now my gold standard.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

Full of empathy, it's the sort of song that led to Rick being called the "gold standard" for hip-hop lyricists.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Sunday’s accident comes at a moment of reckoning for U.S. aviation safety, long viewed as the global gold standard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Within minutes, Miele was on a table in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, awaiting angioplasty to unclog his artery—a procedure that many cardiologists say has become the gold standard in heart attack treatment.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times