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standard

A standard is an ideal or set of criteria that you use to judge things against. Colleges have certain standards for applicants, like a minimum SAT score or an above average grade point average.

If you complain that the soup isn't up to your standard, you're comparing it to an ideal and finding it lacking. (Just don't be surprised if the chef then "accidentally" spills it in your lap.) The economy used to work by the gold standard, where one dollar equaled a fixed amount of gold. A standard can also be a military flag or banner on a pole. Or a popular old song that's considered a classic.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: standard

1
 nadj
a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated
conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind
2
 n
a board measure = 1980 board feet
3
 n
an upright pole or beam (especially one used as a support)
4
 n
any distinctive flag
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: standard
1

n a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

“the schools comply with federal standards”
Synonyms:
criterion, measure, touchstone
Types:
show 22 types...
hide 22 types...
benchmark
a standard by which something can be measured or judged
ERA, earned run average
(baseball) a measure of a pitcher's effectiveness; calculated as the average number of earned runs allowed by the pitcher for every nine innings pitched
GPA, grade point average
a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted
procrustean bed, procrustean rule, procrustean standard
a standard that is enforced uniformly without regard to individuality
yardstick
a measure or standard used for comparison
medium of exchange, monetary system
anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region
graduated table, ordered series, scale, scale of measurement
an ordered reference standard
gauge, standard of measurement
accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared
baseline
an imaginary line or standard by which things are measured or compared
norm
a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical
legal tender, stamp, tender
something that can be used as an official medium of payment
money
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
currency
the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used
Beaufort scale, wind scale
an international scale of wind force from 0 (calm air) to 12 (hurricane)
index
a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number
logarithmic scale
scale on which actual distances from the origin are proportional to the logarithms of the corresponding scale numbers
Mercalli scale
a scale formerly used to describe the magnitude of an earthquake; an earthquake detected only by seismographs is a I and an earthquake that destroys all buildings is a XII
Mohs scale
a scale of hardness of solids; talc is 0 and diamond is 10; ordering is determined by which substance can scratch another substance
Richter scale
a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 formerly used to express the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of the size of seismograph oscillations
moment magnitude scale
a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 (a successor to the Richter scale) that enables seismologists to compare the energy released by different earthquakes on the basis of the area of the geological fault that ruptured in the quake
temperature scale
a system of measuring temperature
wage scale, wage schedule
a schedule of wages paid for different jobs
Type of:
metric, system of measurement
a system of related measures that facilitates the quantification of some particular characteristic

n the ideal in terms of which something can be judged

“they live by the standards of their community”
Synonyms:
criterion
Types:
control, control condition
a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment
design criteria
criteria that designers should meet in designing some system or device
Type of:
ideal
the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain

n the value behind the money in a monetary system

Synonyms:
monetary standard
Types:
gold standard
a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold
silver standard
a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of silver
bimetallism
a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by stated amounts of two metals (usually gold and silver) with values set at a predetermined ratio
Type of:
value
the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable

adj conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind

“windows of standard width”
“standard sizes”
“the standard fixtures”
“standard brands”
“standard operating procedure”
Synonyms
normal
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
modular
constructed with standardized units or dimensions allowing flexibility and variety in use
regular
conforming to a standard or pattern
regulation
prescribed by or according to regulation
standardised, standardized
brought into conformity with a standard
stock
routine
Antonyms:
nonstandard
varying from or not adhering to a standard
deficient, inferior, substandard
falling short of some prescribed norm
nonnormative
not based on a norm
show more antonyms...

adj established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence

“a standard reference work”
Synonyms
orthodox
adhering to what is commonly accepted
authoritative, classic, classical, definitive
of recognized authority or excellence
basic, canonic, canonical
reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality
casebook, textbook
according to or characteristic of a casebook or textbook; typical
criterial, criterional
serving as a basis for evaluation
Antonyms:
nonstandard
not standard; not accepted as a model of excellence

adj commonly used or supplied

“standard procedure”
“standard car equipment”
Synonyms
common
having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual

adj regularly and widely used or sold

“a standard size”
Synonyms:
stock
regular
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

adj conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

“"standard English" (American)”
Synonyms:
received
acceptable
judged to be in conformity with approved usage
classical
(language) having the form used by ancient standard authors
Antonyms:
nonstandard
not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community
bad
nonstandard
unacceptable, unaccepted
not conforming to standard usage
show more antonyms...
2

n a board measure = 1980 board feet

Type of:
capacity measure, capacity unit, cubage unit, cubature unit, cubic content unit, cubic measure, displacement unit, volume unit
a unit of measurement of volume or capacity
3

n an upright pole or beam (especially one used as a support)

“distance was marked by standards every mile”
“lamps supported on standards provided illumination”
Type of:
post
an upright consisting of a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position
4

n any distinctive flag

Synonyms:
banner
Types:
oriflamme
a red or orange-red flag used as a standard by early French kings
Type of:
flag
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
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