gold standard

noun

Synonyms of gold standardnext
1
: a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold and which is usually characterized by the coinage and circulation of gold, unrestricted convertibility of other money into gold, and the free export and import of gold for settling of international obligations
2
: benchmark sense 1a

Synonyms of gold standard

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of gold standard in a Sentence

the gold standard for accurate experimental procedures is the double-blind medication trial
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Head Start was established in the 1960s to help fight poverty and has long been considered by early childhood education experts to be a gold standard early learning program. — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 His 108 football wins at CSU from 1993-2007 put the Rams on the map and remains the program’s gold standard. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for gold standard

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gold standard was in 1811

Rhymes for gold standard

See All Rhymes for gold standard

Browse Nearby Words

gold stamp
gold standard
gold star
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gold%20standard. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on gold standard

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gold standard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All