Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

¹standard

noun stan·dard \ˈstan-dərd\

: a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

standards : ideas about morally correct and acceptable behavior

: something that is very good and that is used to make judgments about the quality of other things

Full Definition of STANDARD

: a conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem

a : a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices

b : the personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family

c : an organization flag carried by a mounted or motorized military unit

d : banner 1

: something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example : criterion <quite slow by today's standards>

: something set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality

a : the fineness and legally fixed weight of the metal used in coins

b : the basis of value in a monetary system <the gold standard>

: a structure built for or serving as a base or support

a : a shrub or herb grown with an erect main stem so that it forms or resembles a tree

b : a fruit tree grafted on a stock that does not induce dwarfing

a : the large odd upper petal of a papilionaceous flower (as of the pea)

b : one of the three inner usually erect and incurved petals of an iris

: a musical composition (as a song) that has become a part of the standard repertoire

— stan·dard·less adjective

See standard defined for English-language learners

See standard defined for kids

Origin of STANDARD

Middle English, from Anglo-French estandard banner, standard, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English standan to stand and probably to Old High German hart hard

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to STANDARD

Synonyms: bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, metric, par, touchstone, yardstick

Synonym Discussion of STANDARD

standard, criterion, gauge, yardstick, touchstone mean a means of determining what a thing should be. standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority <standards of behavior>. criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not <questioned the critic's criteria for excellence>. gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect <polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction>. yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality <housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth>. touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible <fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant>.

Other Heraldry Terms

blazon, cachet, couchant, dormant, escutcheon, potent, totem

²standard

adjective

: regularly and widely used, seen, or accepted : not unusual or special

: generally accepted and used because of high quality or excellence

: accepted and used by most of the educated speakers and writers of a language

Full Definition of STANDARD

a : constituting or conforming to a standard especially as established by law or custom <standard weight>

b : sound and usable but not of top quality <standard beef>

a : regularly and widely used, available, or supplied <standard automobile equipment>

b : well-established and very familiar <the standard opera>

: having recognized and permanent value <a standard reference work>

: substantially uniform and well established by usage in the speech and writing of the educated and widely recognized as acceptable <standard pronunciation is subject to regional variations>

— stan·dard·ly adverb

See standard defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of STANDARD

1567

Related to STANDARD

Synonyms: average, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried (also cut-and-dry), everyday, garden-variety, normal, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, ordinary, standard-issue, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday

Antonyms: abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual

STANDARD Defined for Kids

¹standard

noun stan·dard \ˈstan-dərd\

Definition of STANDARD for Kids

: something set up as a rule for measuring or as a model <a standard of weight> <“There have to be standards. We can't have kids walking around saying ‘ain't’ …” — Andrew Clements, Frindle>

: the personal flag of the ruler of a state

: an upright support <a lamp standard>

: a figure used as a symbol by an organized body of people

²standard

adjective

Definition of STANDARD for Kids

: used as or matching a model or rule to compare against <standard weight>

: regularly and widely used <It's a standard practice in the trade.> <The script is standard … and so are the costumes … — Barbara Robinson, Best Christmas Pageant>

: widely known and accepted to be of good and permanent value <The book is a standard reference work on grammar.>