gold standard

noun

Definition of gold standardnext
as in standard
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared the gold standard for accurate experimental procedures is the double-blind medication trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 gold standard Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 World Weather Attribution — an international collaboration of scientists who examine extreme events to determine climate change’s role, if any — did that study so quickly, the report didn’t get peer reviewed, which is the scientific gold standard. — Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 31 July 2026 The Women’s Health Initiative and the HABITS trial were both larger randomized trials, which are gold standards in research. — Versha Pleasant, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 While charcoal grills are the affordable gold standard for many home cooks, gas grills can do nearly everything a charcoal grill can (just with slightly less smoky flavor). — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gold standard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gold standard
  1. standard
  2. criterion
  3. benchmark
Noun
  • OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Airport officials said the new design also increases the distance between the terminal and the nearest runway, formerly as little as 257 feet, to about 880 feet — a change that brings the airport into compliance with FAA standards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of standard
Noun
  • That policy needs to evaluate prospective patients against criteria such as the patient’s needs and the agency’s ability to provide services, in relation to the current caseload, average case mix intensity, staffing and competence of staff.
    — Colin Conner II, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Studies have estimated that anywhere between 25% and 35% of the patient population would meet the current clinical criteria for gene therapy.
    — Steven Ross Johnson, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of criterion
Noun
  • The commercial benchmark, by comparison, showed continuous performance decay during testing.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • In human medicine, research cites a benchmark of 10,000 steps per day as a threshold that, when combined with healthy nutrition, supports weight loss.
    — Will Boyd, Baltimore Sun, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of benchmark

Browse Nearby Words

gold-plated
gold standard
gold standards
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Cite this Entry

“Gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gold%20standard. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gold standard

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gold standard

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