timescale

noun

time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl How to pronounce timescale (audio)
: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the relative or absolute duration or antiquity of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time

Examples of timescale in a Sentence

When considered on the 4.6 billion year timescale of the Earth, our lives can seem insignificant. What is the timescale for completion of the work?
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But over shorter timescales, days to months, Earth's spin can actually speed up and that's what happened on July 9, and will also happen on July 22 and Aug. 5. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 10 July 2025 Earth's natural satellite exerts a powerful gravitational pull that generally slows our rotation over long timescales. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025 In the past, foresters worked only on long timescales. Robert Sullivan, Curbed, 9 June 2025 With longer timescales comes more complexity: more collisions take place, and the whole history of a particle’s interactions might bear on its current behavior. Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for timescale

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of timescale was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Timescale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timescale. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

timescale

noun
time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl How to pronounce timescale (audio)
: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the duration or age of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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