yardstick

[yahrd-stik]

noun

1. a stick a yard long, commonly marked with subdivisions, used for measuring.

2. any standard of measurement or judgment.

   Test scores are not the only yardstick of academic achievement.

yardstick

/ ˈjɑːdˌstɪk /

noun

1. a measure or standard used for comparison

   on what kind of yardstick is he basing his criticism?

2. a graduated stick, one yard long, used for measurement

Word History and Origins

Origin of yardstick¹

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; yard ¹ + stick ¹

Example Sentences

But we all must decide, he added, whether we will use money “as a tool to live a better life” or, tragically, “as a yardstick of status to measure yourself against others.”

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But we all must decide, he added, whether we will use money “as a tool to live a better life” or, tragically, “as a yardstick of status to measure yourself against others.”

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Meanwhile, the price of Brent crude, the global yardstick, edged up.

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It was one of the warning lights for technicians who watch such yardsticks for clues about the market’s direction.

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Miss Mortimer adjusted her posture until her back was straight as a yardstick.

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Related Words

• barometer 
• benchmark 
• criterion 
• indicator 
• norm