CRITERION Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'criterion' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of criterion are gauge , standard , touchstone , and yardstick . While all these words mean "a means of determining what a thing should be," criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not. // questioned the critic's criteria for excellence

Q: When is 'gauge' a more appropriate choice than 'criterion'?

While in some cases nearly identical to criterion , gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect. // polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction

Q: When could 'standard' be used to replace 'criterion'?

Although the words standard and criterion have much in common, standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority. // standards of behavior

Q: When is it sensible to use 'touchstone' instead of 'criterion'?

The meanings of touchstone and criterion largely overlap; however, touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible. // fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

Q: How do 'yardstick' and 'criterion' relate to one another?

Yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality. // housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth

criterion

noun

krī-ˈtir-ē-ən

Definition of criterion

as in standard

something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared one criterion for grading these essays will be their conformity to the rules of traditional grammar

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in characteristic

something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind an exceptionally high degree of physical risk is the preeminent criterion of an extreme sport

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun criterion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of criterion are gauge, standard, touchstone, and yardstick. While all these words mean "a means of determining what a thing should be," criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not.

questioned the critic's criteria for excellence

When is gauge a more appropriate choice than criterion?

While in some cases nearly identical to criterion, gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect.

polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction

When could standard be used to replace criterion?

Although the words standard and criterion have much in common, standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority.

standards of behavior

When is it sensible to use touchstone instead of criterion?

The meanings of touchstone and criterion largely overlap; however, touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible.

fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

How do yardstick and criterion relate to one another?

Yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality.

housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of criterion For the federal court in Miami, the next big step after the bail decision is to hold a hearing to determine whether the legal criteria for extradition have been met. — Bill Chappell, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 Now, to be clear, nightclubs like Basement have a longstanding subjective — and often nebulous — criteria for who gets in, and anyone dorky enough to show up to one wearing Meta glasses almost certainly wouldn’t make the cut anyway. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026 Developers and researchers search for models that meet certain criteria, download and run them, and fine-tune them into different variants that then get uploaded back up to Hugging Face. — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026 In the first of his 1927 papers, von Neumann laid out two mathematical criteria that defined such a space. — Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for criterion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for criterion

Noun

BlackBerry has crafted its software to have high safety standards, a non-negotiable for cars and other moving objects.

— Arjun Kharpal,Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
If hotel quality is your at-home standard, consider this Martha Stewart comforter that’s filled with premium goose down for cloud-like comfort.

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of standard

Noun

According to the team, each of those characteristics plays out similarly in real fish of various sizes across different ecological niches.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
And most simulants of lunar material are faithful in their geological characteristics, to simulate the lunar surface and its dust, rather than the precise chemistry within.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of characteristic

Noun

Japan has selected Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s luminously cerebral French-language feature All of a Sudden as its submission for the best international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, All Of A Sudden, has been selected as Japan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of feature

Noun

The centre-back hopes signing for Birmingham will bring out latent leadership qualities.

— Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
None of the lead articles compare firms that adopted these AI processes with otherwise similar firms that did not, on realized strategy quality or long-run performance.

— Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of quality

Noun

This suggests an inherent bias from the LLM's Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) training, where human input inadvertently promotes traits like curiosity.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Craig was extremely productive at Harvard and has NFL-caliber traits with his size, mobility and throw power.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of trait

Noun

Collectively, the launches position sustainability as one performance attribute among several—including comfort, opacity, cooling and durability—rather than as a standalone proposition.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
And Cullen is the reason Optimus Prime retained the attributes fans love so much about that character.

— Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of attribute

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criteria

criterion

critic

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Style

“Criterion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criterion. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of criterion

noun

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Synonyms of criterion

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to criterion

Can ‘criteria’ ever be singular?

Two-Wheeled Words: Bicycle Terms

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

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Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

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Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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Games & Quizzes