as in balances
a device for measuring weight
I hate getting on the bathroom scale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in hierarchies
a scheme of rank or order
a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in spectrums
the distance or extent between possible extremes
with the scale going from one to ten, what did you think of the movie?
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in measures
to find out the size, extent, or amount of
scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of scales
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Scientists thought these spiky bits might be spiny scales, like those found on the bodies of rays and sharks.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
So what about the little guys, the ones who don’t tip the scales but turn heads with their own unique skill set?
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And if ignored, the scales can weaken and even kill your trees.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
In the confrontation between the Chinese state and its critics, American technology tipped the scales of power.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The image of the scales of justice depicts the need to balance the evidence and arguments of opposing views fairly and impartially, suggesting a more mechanistic approach to justice that involves calculation and balance.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Where money flows determine what scales and what gets seen.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
The Israeli officials who spoke to CNN said Netanyahu is considering various scales and levels of annexation options, ranging from a limited takeover of several Jewish settlements to a broader approach calling for annexation of Area C, which comprises 60% of the territory.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The real test is whether governments, corporations, and consumers can demand an AI ecosystem that scales sustainably.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
And as the crypto ecosystem scales further, the absence of these protections will become increasingly consequential.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The Pixel 10’s screen offers a resolution of 2,424 by 1,080 pixels, a refresh rate that scales from 60Hz to 120Hz, and brightness levels up to 2,000 nits (HDR) and 3,000 nits (peak).
—PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2025
DiLoCoX pioneers a number of novel techniques, including pipeline parallelism, adaptive gradient compression, one-step-delay communication overlaps and local training, to create a decentralized AI training environment that scales to unprecedented heights.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025
If India scales back imports of Russian oil, Moscow could still gain revenue if crude prices spike.
—semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
That reframes how early magnetism seeded galaxies and plasma behavior on the largest scales.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Scientists thought these spiky bits might be spiny scales, like those found on the bodies of rays and sharks.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
So what about the little guys, the ones who don’t tip the scales but turn heads with their own unique skill set?
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
And if ignored, the scales can weaken and even kill your trees.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
In the confrontation between the Chinese state and its critics, American technology tipped the scales of power.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The image of the scales of justice depicts the need to balance the evidence and arguments of opposing views fairly and impartially, suggesting a more mechanistic approach to justice that involves calculation and balance.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Where money flows determine what scales and what gets seen.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
The Israeli officials who spoke to CNN said Netanyahu is considering various scales and levels of annexation options, ranging from a limited takeover of several Jewish settlements to a broader approach calling for annexation of Area C, which comprises 60% of the territory.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
The team is rounded out by Asia Stocchi, who takes on distribution and development coordination duties as the company scales up operations.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The real test is whether governments, corporations, and consumers can demand an AI ecosystem that scales sustainably.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
And as the crypto ecosystem scales further, the absence of these protections will become increasingly consequential.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The Pixel 10’s screen offers a resolution of 2,424 by 1,080 pixels, a refresh rate that scales from 60Hz to 120Hz, and brightness levels up to 2,000 nits (HDR) and 3,000 nits (peak).
—PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2025
DiLoCoX pioneers a number of novel techniques, including pipeline parallelism, adaptive gradient compression, one-step-delay communication overlaps and local training, to create a decentralized AI training environment that scales to unprecedented heights.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025
If India scales back imports of Russian oil, Moscow could still gain revenue if crude prices spike.
—semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scales
Verb
-
The companies are doing this as the NFL measures its long-term approach to prediction markets, which have emerged as a fast-growing alternative to traditional sportsbooks and operate outside state regulations.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Odds for a quarter-point cut were around 88% on Monday afternoon, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool that measures odds of Fed action based on 30-day fed funds futures contracts.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The diffusion index in the jobs report gauges the concentration of growth.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
-
In business, profit margins are a performance metric that gauges the extent to which businesses are making money, similar to how the number of games a baseball team leads its division by determines its standing.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scales. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share