as in standards
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 touchstones
Schreifels has cited early hardcore touchstones and their ethos of self-determination as a guiding force this time around, echoing the spirit of his own hugely influential adjacent bands Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits.
—
Spin Staff, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2026
The touchstones for the album’s softer material, Kaye says, include Townes Van Zandt, Eric Andersen, Kevin Kinney of Drivin’ N Cryin’, and Alejandro Escovedo.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
Although Purdue produced only a fraction of the opioid pills that flooded the market in the 2000s, advocates have long seen aggressive sales of OxyContin as one of the touchstones of the crisis.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
While Purdue produced only a fraction of the opioid pills that flooded the market in the 2000s, advocates have long seen aggressive sales of OxyContin as one of the touchstones of the crisis.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The Manchester trio’s latest album proposes a heady, rhythmic strain of post-punk that references familiar touchstones while sounding genuinely, deliriously disorienting.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
These are not lazy callbacks, but shared touchstones — part of a pop cultural language the film embedded into our collective consciousness, and that the show both celebrates and lovingly skewers.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
The brand’s mission is to make golf more inclusive by mixing cultural touchstones with golf and lowering the entry barrier to the sport.
—Ryan Brennan
april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Spin Staff, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2026
The touchstones for the album’s softer material, Kaye says, include Townes Van Zandt, Eric Andersen, Kevin Kinney of Drivin’ N Cryin’, and Alejandro Escovedo.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
Although Purdue produced only a fraction of the opioid pills that flooded the market in the 2000s, advocates have long seen aggressive sales of OxyContin as one of the touchstones of the crisis.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
While Purdue produced only a fraction of the opioid pills that flooded the market in the 2000s, advocates have long seen aggressive sales of OxyContin as one of the touchstones of the crisis.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The Manchester trio’s latest album proposes a heady, rhythmic strain of post-punk that references familiar touchstones while sounding genuinely, deliriously disorienting.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
These are not lazy callbacks, but shared touchstones — part of a pop cultural language the film embedded into our collective consciousness, and that the show both celebrates and lovingly skewers.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
The brand’s mission is to make golf more inclusive by mixing cultural touchstones with golf and lowering the entry barrier to the sport.
—Ryan Brennan
april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstones
Noun
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Some models feature replaceable blades, like the Milk Street Kitchen Precision peeler, which retails for $30, but by peeler standards that’s high.—
Jennifer Zyman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
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Accessibility The hotel is fully compliant with ADA standards, and has five accessible Deluxe rooms designed to accommodate guests with limited mobility and disabilities.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Applying these criteria uniformly across evaluated communities can create a limited view of local economic conditions.—
Sooji Nam,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
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Randazzo said the criteria for issuing tickets has also been overhauled.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Barnett pointed to Georgia, which has a universal pre-K program and, this year, became the largest program in the country to meet at 10 of NIEER’s benchmarks for quality.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
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Bloomberg was willing to pull these experts off their day jobs both to write benchmarks for sub-agents and to help evaluate entire workflows.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touchstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstones. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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