as in criterion
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared
his book has long been a touchstone for travel writing that aspires to be literature
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Recent Examples of touchstone
To say the tables have been turned since the Heat’s Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh defeated the Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals would be an understatement, with the Thunder having supplanted the Heat as a touchstone franchise.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 May 2025
And, yet, there is little to indicate that anything other than defense will remain the franchise touchstone.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2025
And no one has strayed more than Danielle: straying from the light, straying from human decency, and, if the literary and cultural touchstone Cop Without a Badge is to be believed, straying from the law.
—Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 11 June 2025
The flames that licked through the football fields and tennis courts at Pali High devoured touchstones of an iconic campus—featured in films like Carrie and Freaky Friday.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchstone
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 May 2025
And, yet, there is little to indicate that anything other than defense will remain the franchise touchstone.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2025
And no one has strayed more than Danielle: straying from the light, straying from human decency, and, if the literary and cultural touchstone Cop Without a Badge is to be believed, straying from the law.
—Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 11 June 2025
The flames that licked through the football fields and tennis courts at Pali High devoured touchstones of an iconic campus—featured in films like Carrie and Freaky Friday.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touchstone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstone
Noun
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But the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges — the longtime accreditor of Florida’s 40 public universities and colleges — is the only one of the seven southern accreditation agencies that mandate DEI criteria.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 July 2025
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Not so easy, but these four mostly meet the criteria.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Santa Cruz, for example, has a standard that developers can’t use vinyl windows.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
14 July 2025
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Flickering habitability The landscape turned arid, judging by Earth’s standards, roughly 3.5 billion years ago.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 July 2025
Noun
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In June, state economists announced those benchmarks won’t be hit.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
13 July 2025
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The 10,000-step benchmark started as a marketing strategy for a 1960s Japanese pedometer, not a medical recommendation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touchstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstone. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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