noun
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a criterion or standard by which judgment is made
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a hard dark siliceous stone, such as basalt or jasper, that is used to test the quality of gold and silver from the colour of the streak they produce on it
Etymology
Origin of touchstone
Explanation
Use the noun touchstone to describe a basis for comparison. For example, a filmmaker's touchstone might be her all-time favorite movie; she wants her movie to be that good or similar to it in some way. Touchstone as it is defined today comes from an actual stone. In the late 15th century, gold and silver was rubbed, or touched against black quartz — the touchstone — to determine the purity of the metals. This was done by looking at the color of the streaks left on the stone. This is why a touchstone, in the figurative sense as it is used today, is a measuring tool.
Vocabulary lists containing touchstone
50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: "Trying to Inspire a New Generation" by Trip Gabriel
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Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address (1801)
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This Week in Words: June 4 - 8, 2018
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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.
“They make me feel less alone,” says Grace, and she and Susanna can both quote from Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” a cherished touchstone of every sensitive adolescent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
As more Americans visited China in the following decades, “The Sound of Music” became a common cultural touchstone.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
They’re also, according to Dominican American filmmaker Joel Alfonso Vargas, an underground cultural touchstone, one he became familiar with as a teenager.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
The actor, who died Wednesday of cancer, will be best known to a generation of viewers for his role on the WB teen drama that became a cultural touchstone for many.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026
The person who distrusts himself has no touchstone for reality—for this touchstone can be only oneself.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
