Standard — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective /ˈstan-dərd/ stan·dard

Meaning & Definition of Standard

Standard (noun)

  1. a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem
  2. a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices
  3. the personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family

Standard (adjective)

  1. constituting or conforming to a standard especially as established by law or custom
  2. sound and usable but not of top quality
  3. regularly and widely used, available, or supplied

Standard (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared

    "the animation in that movie set the standard against which all later animated cartoons were judged"

    similar: bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, metric, par, touchstone, yardstick
    related: case, example, instance, average, norm, rule, acme, apex, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith
    near: aberration, abnormality, deviation

  2. a piece of cloth with a special design that is used as an emblem or for signaling

    "a ship flying the queen's standard"

    similar: banderole, banner, colors, ensign, flag, guidon, jack, pendant (chiefly British), pennant, pennon, streamer
    related: bunting, gonfalon, black flag, Jolly Roger, tricolor, union jack, white flag, burgee, semaphore, signaler, waft, badge, coat of arms, crest, insignia

  3. what is typical of a group, class, or series

    "somewhat shorter than the standard for boys that age"

    similar: average, norm, normal, par
    related: golden mean, mean, median, middle, commonplace, ordinary, rule, run, status quo, usual, exemplar, representative
    near: abnormality, anomaly, deviation, exception, rarity

  4. the code of good conduct for an individual or group

    "a life guided by high standards"

    similar: ethics, ethos, morality, morals, norms, principles
    related: customs, dictates, etiquette, manners, mores, values, beliefs, dogma, faith, tenets

Standard (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events

    "a standard bandage is all that that wound needs"

    similar: average, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried, everyday, garden-variety, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard-issue, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, par for the course
    related: regular, typical, unextraordinary, familiar, homely, plain, plain-Jane, popular, vulgar, natural, customary, wonted, insignificant, trivial, unimportant, frequent, habitual, expected, predictable
    opposite: abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual
    near: curious, funny, peculiar, quaint, queer, aberrant, anomalous, atypical, irregular, untypical, rare, recherché, scarce, fantastic, phenomenal, bizarre, far-out, Kafkaesque, outrageous, outré, wacky, way-out, weird, wild, eccentric, idiosyncratic, kooky, nonconformist, oddball, offbeat, unconventional, unorthodox, freak, freakish, conspicuous, notable, novel, outstanding, prominent, salient, signal, striking, unexampled, unprecedented, singular, unique, unparalleled

  2. having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind

    "he's pretty much your standard high-school jock"

    similar: archetypal, average, characteristic, normal, regular, representative, true, typical
    related: common, commonplace, conventional, customary, everyday, ordinary, usual, wonted, workaday, classic, textbook, vintage, expected, familiar, habitual, predictable, routine, unexceptional, unremarkable, predominant, preponderant
    opposite: aberrant, abnormal, anomalous, atypical, deviant, irregular, nonrepresentative, nontypical, untypical
    near: uncommon, unconventional, uncustomary, unusual, unwonted, distinctive, especial, exceptional, extraordinary, infrequent, noteworthy, rare, remarkable, singular, special, unexpected, unfamiliar, unique, unpredictable, eccentric, idiosyncratic, nonconformist, peculiar, unknown, unorthodox, curious, erratic, funky, funny, odd, oddball, offbeat, outlandish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky, way-out, bizarre, fantastic, far-out, freak, freakish, kooky, out-of-the-way, outrageous, outré, unnatural, weird, wild

  3. accepted, used, or practiced by most people

    "standard procedure"

    similar: conventional, current, customary, going, popular, prevailing, prevalent, stock, usual
    related: average, common, everyday, normal, ordinary, regular, routine, epidemic, ubiquitous, universal, widespread, accustomed, wonted, fashionable, in, modish, stylish
    opposite: nonstandard, unconventional, unpopular, unusual
    near: abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, uncommon

Related Entry: Standard-issue (adjective)

Standard-issue is a different word from Standard. The synonyms below are for standard-issue, not for standard.

  1. being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events

    "another standard-issue thriller with a man on the run desperately trying to find the baddie who framed him for murder"

    similar: average, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried, everyday, garden-variety, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, par for the course
    related: regular, typical, unextraordinary, familiar, homely, plain, plain-Jane, popular, vulgar, natural, customary, wonted, insignificant, trivial, unimportant, frequent, habitual, expected, predictable
    opposite: abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual
    near: curious, funny, peculiar, quaint, queer, aberrant, anomalous, atypical, irregular, untypical, rare, recherché, scarce, fantastic, phenomenal, bizarre, far-out, Kafkaesque, outrageous, outré, wacky, way-out, weird, wild, eccentric, idiosyncratic, kooky, nonconformist, oddball, offbeat, unconventional, unorthodox, freak, freakish, conspicuous, notable, novel, outstanding, prominent, salient, signal, striking, unexampled, unprecedented, singular, unique, unparalleled

Related Entry: Standard-bearer (noun)

Standard-bearer is a different word from Standard. The synonyms below are for standard-bearer, not for standard.

  1. as in manager, steward

    similar: leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor, boss, boss man, captain, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, leader, master, mistress, taskmaster, administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign, figurehead, baron, czar, czarina, king, magnate, mogul, president, prince, princess, queen, big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun, cohead, coleader, employer, gaffer (British), ganger (British)
    opposite: dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling

Related Entry: Standard-bearers (noun)

Standard-bearers is a different word from Standard. The synonyms below are for standard-bearers, not for standard.

  1. as in managers, stewards

    similar: leadmen, managers, overseers, principals, skippers, stewards, straw bosses, superintendents, superiors, supervisors, bosses, boss men, captains, chiefs, foremen, headmen, heads, helmsmen, honchos, jefes, kingpins, leaders, masters, mistresses, taskmasters, administrators, commanders, directors, executives, generals, governors, hierarchs, higher-ups, overlords, potentates, rulers, sovereigns, figureheads, barons, czarinas, czars, kings, magnates, moguls, presidents, princes, princesses, queens, big cheeses, big guns, bigwigs, top dogs, top guns, coheads, coleaders, employers, gaffers (British), gangers (British)
    opposite: dependents, inferiors, juniors, secondaries, subjects, subordinates, underlings

Related Entry: Gold standard (noun)

Gold standard is a different word from Standard. The synonyms below are for gold standard, not for standard.

  1. something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared

    "the gold standard for accurate experimental procedures is the double-blind medication trial"

    similar: bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, grade, mark, measure, metric, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick
    related: case, example, instance, average, norm, rule, acme, apex, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith
    near: aberration, abnormality, deviation

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Standard

The most common words with a similar meaning to Standard:

Chiefly British: pendant
bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, metric, par, touchstone, yardstick, banderole, banner, colors, ensign, flag, guidon, jack, pennant, pennon, streamer, average, norm, normal, ethics, ethos, morality, morals, norms, principles, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried, everyday, garden-variety, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Standard

Words with the opposite meaning of Standard:

abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual, aberrant, anomalous, atypical, deviant, irregular, nonrepresentative, nontypical, untypical, nonstandard, unconventional, unpopular

Related Words for Standard

case, example, instance, rule, acme, apex, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith, bunting, gonfalon, black flag, Jolly Roger, tricolor, union jack, white flag, burgee, semaphore, signaler, waft, badge, coat of arms, crest, insignia, golden mean, mean, median, middle

Near Antonyms of Standard

aberration, abnormality, deviation, anomaly, exception, rarity, curious, funny, peculiar, quaint, queer, rare, recherché, scarce, fantastic, phenomenal, bizarre, far-out, Kafkaesque, outrageous, outré, wacky, way-out, weird, wild, eccentric, idiosyncratic, kooky, nonconformist, oddball

Word Forms of Standard

Derived words: standardless (adjective), standardly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Standard

Middle English, from Anglo-French estandard banner, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English standan to stand and probably to Old High German hart hard

First known use: 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Standard

Words & Phrases Containing Standard

standard-bearer, standard candle, standard deviation, Standard English, standard error, standard gauge, standard-issue, standard model

Frequently Asked Questions about Standard

What does "Standard" mean?

"Standard" means a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem. As an a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Standard"?

Other words for "Standard" include bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark and measure. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Standard" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Standard"?

There are 133 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Standard". Common alternatives include bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, metric and par.

What is the opposite of "Standard"?

Antonyms of "Standard" include abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual and aberrant. Near antonyms include aberration, abnormality, deviation and anomaly.

How do you use "Standard" in a sentence?

Examples of "Standard" in a sentence: "the animation in that movie set the standard against which all later animated cartoons were judged"; "a ship flying the queen's standard"; "somewhat shorter than the standard for boys that age".

Is "Standard" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Standard" can be used as a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Standard" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Standard" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Standard"?

"Standard" is pronounced /ˈstan-dərd/ and divided into syllables as stan·dard.