Dictionary.com
definitions

sliding scale

|

noun

a variable scale, especially of industrial costs, as wages, that may be adapted to changes in demand.
a wage scale varying with the selling price of goods produced, the cost of living, or profits.
a price scale, as of medical fees, in which prices vary according to the ability of individuals to pay.
a tariff scale varying according to changing prices.

RELATED CONTENT

Kinsey ScaleRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
slide into the DMsRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Nearby words

  1. sliding fit,
  2. sliding flap,
  3. sliding friction,
  4. sliding hernia,
  5. sliding rule,
  6. sliding seat,
  7. sliding vector,
  8. slidingly,
  9. slier,
  10. sliest

Origin of sliding scale

First recorded in 1700–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sliding scale

British Dictionary definitions for sliding scale

sliding scale

noun

a variable scale according to which specified wages, tariffs, prices, etc, fluctuate in response to changes in some other factor, standard, or conditions
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Culture definitions for sliding scale

sliding scale

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.