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

“We had our whippings. It was the yardstick,” said Stewart’s brother, Frank Kostyra.

From Salon

It’s simplistic just to look at Leach’s seven wickets against Bashir’s one as the yardstick of success – the devil is in the detail.

From BBC

Walking on the sandy riverbed, McNeish used a yardstick to estimate how much the water had receded in an isolated pond since her last visit.

From Los Angeles Times

Specifically, for modern Villa players, there is 1982, an achievement that fills their supporters with pride, but sets a mighty yardstick by which their successors are matched.

From BBC

This tongue-in-cheek coverage is fine as long as it’s understood that it’s often an arbitrary way to quantify a film and not a yardstick for success.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• barometer
• benchmark
• criterion
• indicator
• norm