Benchmark

Research

A reference point — baseline, comparison group, or external standard — that a result is measured against to give it meaning.

Sources

1. Merriam-Webster — benchmark merriam-webster.com accessed 23 September 2026

Merriam-Webster: “something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged”; “a point of reference from which measurements may be made”; and “a standardized problem or test that serves as a basis for evaluation or comparison (as of computer system performance)”. The original sense is literal and from 1813: “a mark on a permanent object… indicating elevation and serving as a reference in topographic surveys”. A benchmark was a physical fixed point before it was a metaphor, which is a fair reminder that a benchmark is only as good as its fixity.

Merriam-Webster is cited as the dictionary of record: where an entry defines a word rather than a position, a dictionary is the primary source for it. The research usage above is this lexicon’s own.

Related terms

• Abbreviation
• Abstract
• Abstraction
• Academic Database
• Analysis
• Annotation

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).