cri·te·ri·on (kr-tîr-n)
n. pl. cri·te·ri·a (-tîr-) or cri·te·ri·ons
A standard, rule, or test on which a judgment or decision can be based. See Synonyms at standard.
[Greek kritrion, from krits, judge, from krnein, to separate, judge; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]
cri·teri·al (-l) adj.
Usage Note: Like the analogous etymological plurals agenda and data, criteria is widely used as a singular form. Unlike them, however, it is not yet acceptable in that use.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words AntonymsNoun 1. criterion - a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; "they set the measure for all subsequent work"
standard, touchstone, measure
point of reference, reference point, reference - an indicator that orients you generally; "it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved"
benchmark - a standard by which something can be measured or judged; "his painting sets the benchmark of quality"
GPA, grade point average - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted
yardstick - a measure or standard used for comparison; "on what kind of yardstick is he basing his judgment?"
medium of exchange, monetary system - anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region
graduated table, ordered series, scale, scale of measurement - an ordered reference standard; "judging on a scale of 1 to 10"
standard of measurement, gauge - accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared
baseline - an imaginary line or standard by which things are measured or compared; "the established a baseline for the budget"
norm - a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical; "the current middle-class norm of two children per family"
2. criterion - the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; "they live by the standards of their community"
standard
control condition, control - a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment; "the control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw"
ideal - the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
design criteria - criteria that designers should meet in designing some system or device; "the job specifications summarized the design criteria"
mark crazy-by-anyone's-criterion Bailey