TOUCHSTONES Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

touchstones

noun

plural of touchstone

as in standards

something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared his book has long been a touchstone for travel writing that aspires to be literature

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Recent Examples of touchstones Newcastle have lost a lot of touchstones, from Howe to Guimaraes to Trippier, Gordon and Tonali. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 The book is written in fragmentary fashion, discrete chunks of prose that accrete into a greater whole, much like the ancient mosaics that are among of the novel’s thematic touchstones. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 According to the announcement, the semi-acoustic record draws inspiration from reflective touchstones in Young’s catalog such as Comes a Time and Prairie Wind, with lyrics that grapple with memory, mortality and renewal. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 7 Aug. 2026 Each was furnished with familiar touchstones, or content upon which my mind could depend. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026 Time and again, TV shows, movies and cultural touchstones like the Coachella festival thrust legacy acts into the limelight. — David Deal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 If technology is redefining so many industries across America, why then should it not also be applied to solve the age-old issues surrounding one of the nation’s cultural touchstones? — William Jones, USA Today, 20 July 2026 The touchstones are plentiful—Harmonia’s cyclical drift, Alice Coltrane’s stargazing elegies, gamelan’s hypnotic shimmer—but the song is strange and unpredictable. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026 The 2016 animation featured cultural touchstones nodding to Polynesian culture and folklore, and those moments resonated with audiences. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstones

Noun

By North Carolina’s historical standards, the answer should be no, but the bar has been lowered so much that a trip to a bottom-tier bowl feels like a victory.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Though the enrollment trend can be stabilizing to its balance sheet, the district is still performing well by state standards.

— Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of standards

Noun

His greater concern is whether the field is tracking the benchmarks and measures that matter in clinical care delivery.

— Lisa Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Waymo’s own analysis compares its autonomous-driving performance with human-driver benchmarks over equivalent distances in the same operating areas.

— Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of benchmarks

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touchstone

touchstones

touch up

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

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Synonyms of touchstones

noun

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