STANDARD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does standard mean? 

• STANDARD (noun)
  The noun STANDARD has 6 senses:

1. a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

2. the ideal in terms of which something can be judged

3. a board measure = 1980 board feet

4. the value behind the money in a monetary system

5. an upright pole or beam (especially one used as a support)

6. any distinctive flag

  Familiarity information: STANDARD used as a noun is common.

• STANDARD (adjective)
  The adjective STANDARD has 5 senses:

1. conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind

2. commonly used or supplied

3. established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence

4. conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

5. regularly and widely used or sold

  Familiarity information: STANDARD used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STANDARD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

criterion; measure; standard; touchstone

Context example:

they set the measure for all subsequent work

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

metric; system of measurement (a system of related measures that facilitates the quantification of some particular characteristic)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "standard"):

benchmark (a standard by which something can be measured or judged)

earned run average; ERA ((baseball) a measure of a pitcher's effectiveness; calculated as the average number of earned runs allowed by the pitcher for every nine innings pitched)

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)

procrustean bed; procrustean rule; procrustean standard (a standard that is enforced uniformly without regard to individuality)

yardstick (a measure or standard used for comparison)

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)

gauge; standard of measurement (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)

norm (a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical)

Derivation:

standardise; standardize (cause to conform to standard or norm)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The ideal in terms of which something can be judged

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

criterion; standard

Context example:

they live by the standards of their community

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

ideal (the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "standard"):

control; control condition (a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment)

design criteria (criteria that designers should meet in designing some system or device)

Derivation:

standardise; standardize (cause to conform to standard or norm)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A board measure = 1980 board feet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

capacity measure; capacity unit; cubage unit; cubature unit; cubic content unit; cubic measure; displacement unit; volume unit (a unit of measurement of volume or capacity)

Derivation:

standardise; standardize (cause to conform to standard or norm)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The value behind the money in a monetary system

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

monetary standard; standard

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

value (the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "standard"):

gold standard (a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold)

silver standard (a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of silver)

bimetallism (a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by stated amounts of two metals (usually gold and silver) with values set at a predetermined ratio)

Derivation:

standardise; standardize (cause to conform to standard or norm)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An upright pole or beam (especially one used as a support)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

lamps supported on standards provided illumination

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

post (an upright consisting of a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position)

Derivation:

stand (put into an upright position)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Any distinctive flag

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

banner; standard

Hypernyms ("standard" is a kind of...):

flag (emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "standard"):

oriflamme (a red or orange-red flag used as a standard by early French kings)

• STANDARD (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind

Context example:

standard operating procedure

Similar:

modular (constructed with standardized units or dimensions allowing flexibility and variety in use)

regular (conforming to a standard or pattern)

regulation (prescribed by or according to regulation)

standardised; standardized (brought into conformity with a standard)

stock (routine)

Also:

normal (conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal)

Attribute:

amount; measure; quantity (how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify)

Antonym:

nonstandard (varying from or not adhering to a standard)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Commonly used or supplied

Context example:

standard car equipment

Similar:

common (having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence

Context example:

the classical argument between free trade and protectionism

Similar:

authoritative; definitive (of recognized authority or excellence)

basic; canonic; canonical (reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality)

casebook; textbook (according to or characteristic of a casebook or textbook; typical)

criterial; criterional (serving as a basis for evaluation)

Also:

orthodox (adhering to what is commonly accepted)

Antonym:

nonstandard (not standard; not accepted as a model of excellence)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

Synonyms:

received; standard

Context example:

received standard English is sometimes called the King's English

Similar:

acceptable (judged to be in conformity with approved usage)

classical (of or relating to the languages used by ancient standard authors)

Domain category:

linguistics (the scientific study of language)

Antonym:

nonstandard (not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Regularly and widely used or sold

Synonyms:

standard; stock

Context example:

a stock item

Similar:

regular (in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle)

 Context examples 

A unit of antibody concentration measured by comparison against a known concentration of antibodies in a standard reference specimen.

(Antibody Unit, NCI Thesaurus)

A unit of anti-coagulation factor potency determined using an in vitro clotting assay against the standard for coagulation factor concentrate.

(Anti-Coagulation Factor Unit, NCI Thesaurus)

He opened the standard work to which he had already referred me.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A microorganism, often a bacterium, that is not susceptible to standard antimicrobial therapies.

(Multi-Drug Resistant Organism, NCI Thesaurus)

There was plenty to learn, and you were being asked to meet new, higher standards.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The inks are produced by standard solution processing techniques.

(Washable, wearable battery-like devices could be woven directly into clothes, University of Cambridge)

The standard unit of measure for microbiology susceptibility results.

(Microbiology Susceptibility Result Standard Unit, NCI Thesaurus)

A standard by which something can be measured or judged.

(Benchmark, NCI Thesaurus)

The lamp, which was an ordinary standard, he examined with minute care, making certain measurements upon its bowl.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You know me for what I am,—my worth in the world by your standard.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)