timescale

noun

time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl 

: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the relative or absolute duration or antiquity of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time

Examples of timescale in a Sentence

When considered on the 4.6 billion year timescale of the Earth, our lives can seem insignificant.

What is the timescale for completion of the work?

Recent Examples on the Web

Sharks are highly mobile, elusive, and often difficult to study over long timescales. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Importantly, System 2 requires a model of the world to reason and plan over multiple timescales and abstraction levels to find the optimal answer. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

At that timescale, maybe AI will make their company irrelevant. —Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

But very soon, on the timescale of human civilization, that may change. —Dave S. Brody, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for timescale

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

timescale

noun

time·​scale ˈtīm-ˌskāl 

: an arrangement of events used as a measure of the duration or age of a period of history or geologic or cosmic time