reference point

noun

: something that is used to judge or understand something else

The professor used the study as a reference point for evaluating and discussing other theories.

Examples of reference point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The declassified material has become a key reference point for lawmakers and investigators scrutinizing how the January 2017 intelligence community assessment was produced and whether its conclusions reflected the reality of underlying intelligence. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026

By deepening content relevance and restructuring for machine comprehension — while competitors remained vague, promotional, and poorly formatted — this brand became the reference point in its category. —Aviv Shamny, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026

His success as a businessman acted as a reference point when the going got really tough back home in the subsequent weeks, months and years. —Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Clueless continues to be a beloved reference point for fashion lovers thanks to costume designer Mony May’s cheerful mix of colorful, teen-friendly designer fashions. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026

Rhymes for reference point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint