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

By any normal yardstick, the Le Mans 24 Hours is one of the most difficult and demanding races in motorsport.

From BBC

But what is a manifesto of a victorious party for, if not a yardstick of a government's progress?

From BBC

The tests are widely considered the best available yardstick for measuring academic achievement across state lines, because testing programs adopted by each state can vary considerably.

From Los Angeles Times

Down the status and stature yardstick are the shorter, stockier Mediterranean fan palm as well as the jelly palm, whose fruit lives up to the name.

From Los Angeles Times

And Demi Moore became an Oscars frontrunner when she told women to “put down the yardstick” in her Golden Globes acceptance speech for "The Substance."

From Salon

Related Words

• barometer 
• benchmark 
• criterion 
• indicator 
• norm