TOUCHSTONES Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

touchstones

noun

plural of touchstone

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 There are cultural touchstones like Halo, a first-person shooter game that became a global multimedia franchise spanning a television series, comic books, and toys. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Their touchstones were Buddy Holly, the Beatles, and garage rock, with Motown’s most recognizable performers Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson running beneath the songs. — Cary Baker, SPIN, 20 Oct. 2026 Across the dozen tracks, Sivan leans heavily on ’90s touchstones, traipsing from glitch-hop to drum and bass, casting a wide net across sounds and scope. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 The monoculture is, or was, a collective frame of reference, a set of mass-cultural touchstones that everyone could assume everyone else knew about. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 Paulson’s dress incorporated a few of the touchstones of dark glamour, from its dramatic silhouette to the monochrome palette. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026 And cultural touchstones are everywhere, like a jar of agua fresca in which a head is submerged at the birthday celebration, and a quinceañera tiara and scepter embedded in a victim. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026 The actors also drew inspiration from some familiar sci-fi and comedy touchstones while filming. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026 Some went on to appear in generational touchstones, while others stayed more under the radar. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchstones

Noun

As the industry kept growing, Congress added safety, noise and emissions standards to protect the communities living beneath the flight paths.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Staff are attentive and helpful without being overly formal, delivering the high standards of a larger hotel with the personal touch of a boutique property.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of standards

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touchstone

touchstones

touch up

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“Touchstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchstones. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of touchstones

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