sliding scale

noun

1. a variable scale, especially of industrial costs, as wages, that may be adapted to changes in demand.
2. a wage scale varying with the selling price of goods produced, the cost of living, or profits.
3. a price scale, as of medical fees, in which prices vary according to the ability of individuals to pay.
4. a tariff scale varying according to changing prices.

sliding scale

noun

1. a variable scale according to which specified wages, tariffs, prices, etc, fluctuate in response to changes in some other factor, standard, or conditions

sliding scale

1. A set of rates that change according to a mathematical formula. The income tax, for example, is levied on a sliding scale, with the rich paying a higher percentage than the poor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sliding scale¹

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

In this case, the deal involved setting multiple KPIs around agreed-upon sales objectives and creating a sliding scale of comp for the agency.

From Digiday

By that logic, Hand could live with lowered fastball velocity if it keeps moving on a sliding scale with his go-to breaking pitch.

From Washington Post

Eligibility is determined on a sliding scale by annual income and family size, capped at $15,820 for a single person and $56,844 for a family with three or more children.

From Washington Post

Tuition is charged in relation to parent income by using a sliding scale, which Smiley says is part of their strategy in making sure Sora is an inclusive and diverse school.

From TechCrunch

He suggested a blacklist of activities could be applied to dominant platforms with a sliding scale of penalties for non-compliance — up to and including the separation of some operations, according to the FT’s report.

From TechCrunch

In France, parents pay for their childcare on a sliding scale based on their income—the rest is subsidized by the government.

From The Daily Beast

Then, I grade each destination on each of those factors, on a sliding scale from “awful” to “ideal.”

From The Daily Beast

Most prisons issue incident reports on a sliding scale from 100 series (highest severity) to 400 series (lowest severity).

From The Daily Beast

Thakor ran the numbers and showed me the results on a sliding scale that reflected a range of potential interest rates.

From The Daily Beast

Aid will be offered on a sliding scale—families making less would pay less.

From The Daily Beast

Peremptorily the steel magnates refused to continue the sliding scale previously agreed upon as a guarantee of peace.

From Project Gutenberg

The motion was seconded by Mr. Fielden, and supported by Mr. Aglionby, who declared the new sliding-scale was a delusion.

From Project Gutenberg

For three years there was to be a lowered duty on a sliding scale, and then the ports were to be opened entirely.

From Project Gutenberg

Brand rose and tapped the barometer, adjusting the sliding scale to read the tenths.

From Project Gutenberg

The sliding scale aims at the establishment of a numerical ratio between the rate of wage and the price of coal.

From Project Gutenberg