sliding scale

noun

1. a variable scale, especially of industrial costs, as wages, that may be adapted to changes in demand.

2. a wage scale varying with the selling price of goods produced, the cost of living, or profits.

3. a price scale, as of medical fees, in which prices vary according to the ability of individuals to pay.

4. a tariff scale varying according to changing prices.

sliding scale

noun

1. a variable scale according to which specified wages, tariffs, prices, etc, fluctuate in response to changes in some other factor, standard, or conditions

sliding scale

1. A set of rates that change according to a mathematical formula. The income tax, for example, is levied on a sliding scale, with the rich paying a higher percentage than the poor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sliding scale¹

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

The governments of Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will have a month to start co-operating before a sliding scale of sanctions are imposed, the Home Office said on Monday.

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The pandemic-era enhanced credit further cut out-of-pocket costs, paying more along the sliding scale and also also temporarily lifting the credit’s income cutoff, also known as the subsidy cliff.

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Otherwise, compensation is usually paid on a sliding scale depending on the length of your journey and the amount of time you're held up.

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At the least, eligibility for VA benefits should reward time of service, using a transparent, sliding scale of benefits that increases based on the length of one’s career.

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It is impossible to say because there is no precedent for anything quite like this, and sanctions can be applied on a sliding scale depending on whether City are found guilty of any charges.

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