sliding scale

American  

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.

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sliding scale British  

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

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sliding scale Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of sliding scale

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Constitutional rights, she explains, do not operate on a sliding scale where more intrusion gradually transforms into a search.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2026

All while playing an attacking, adaptable, and intense style of football with players boasting a sliding scale of abilities.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

The surcharge, still under negotiation, would use a sliding scale based on full market value above the $5 million threshold, layered atop existing property taxes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

There are also free and discounted clinics around the country that might charge nothing or offer fees on a sliding scale based on income.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

There might even be a sliding scale, with perfect numbers selling at a premium and prime numbers going for more than nonperfect composite numbers, etc.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos