criterion

/kraɪˈtɪriən/

/kraɪˈtiriən/

Other forms: criteria; criterions

A criterion is a standard for judging something. If you are holding a cupcake competition, your number one criterion might be the smoothness of frosting.

A criterion is a category for judging, but can also be a prerequisite for an achievement. It might be an application requirement for a teaching job that you have taught already for two years. If you haven’t, then we say you haven’t "met the criterion" for job experience. Likewise, if you establish the model for something, say you deliver an exciting, profound graduation speech, we might say you "set the criterion" for future speakers.

Definitions of criterion

1. noun

   the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
   synonyms: standard

   types:

   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

   type of:

   ideal

   the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
2. noun

   a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated
   synonyms: measure, standard, touchstone

   types:

   benchmark

   a standard by which something can be measured or judged

   ERA, earned run average

   (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

   legal tender, stamp, tender

   something that can be used as an official medium of payment

   money

   the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

   currency

   the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used

   Beaufort scale, wind scale

   an international scale of wind force from 0 (calm air) to 12 (hurricane)

   index

   a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number

   logarithmic scale

   scale on which actual distances from the origin are proportional to the logarithms of the corresponding scale numbers

   Mercalli scale

   a scale formerly used to describe the magnitude of an earthquake; an earthquake detected only by seismographs is a I and an earthquake that destroys all buildings is a XII

   Mohs scale

   a scale of hardness of solids; talc is 0 and diamond is 10; ordering is determined by which substance can scratch another substance

   Richter scale

   a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 formerly used to express the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of the size of seismograph oscillations

   moment magnitude scale

   a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 (a successor to the Richter scale) that enables seismologists to compare the energy released by different earthquakes on the basis of the area of the geological fault that ruptured in the quake

   temperature scale

   a system of measuring temperature

   wage scale, wage schedule

   a schedule of wages paid for different jobs

   type of:

   metric, system of measurement

   a system of related measures that facilitates the quantification of some particular characteristic