Word
yardstick
Phoneticsyard·stick
US/ˈjɑɹdˌstɪk/
UK/jˈɑːdstɪk/
Definition
n. a standard or a measurement used to judge the quality or value of something. You use it to compare things and see how they measure up.
n. a standard of measurement or a criterion for judging the quality, value, or performance of something. Often used metaphorically to describe a benchmark against which other things are evaluated.
Examples
“The company uses customer satisfaction as a yardstick for success.”
“In many developing countries, access to clean water remains the primary yardstick for measuring public health progress.”
“While the initial budget served as a yardstick for the project's scope, the final costs were significantly higher due to unforeseen logistical challenges and rising material prices.”
Examples
simple
“The company uses customer satisfaction as a yardstick for success.”
contextual
“In many developing countries, access to clean water remains the primary yardstick for measuring public health progress.”
complex
“While the initial budget served as a yardstick for the project's scope, the final costs were significantly higher due to unforeseen logistical challenges and rising material prices.”
Real-World Examples
“T he most common measure of democracies’ performance is gross domestic product (GDP), which is a dumb yardstick because it simply records the value of goods and services that have a price.” “And yet, without such a yardstick, it is hard to calibrate just how much money we should spend to maintain and replenish these precious assets over long periods of time.” Etymology
From yard + stick.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
move the yardsticks — To make progress, as used in political and corporate venues to express proactive actions.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/yardstick