metacriterion

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/ˈmɛtəkɹaɪˌtɪɹiən/

noun

A criterion used to choose between other criteria.

Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounmetacriterion (plural metacriteria)

plural metacriteria

  1. A criterion used to choose between other criteria.

    If there must be a strict hierarchy, then one must ask what metacriteria should be used to determine which morality is best, which behavior most appropriate, which culture most "natural," "holy," or "reasonable."

    1997, Eric Mark Kramer, Modern/postmodern: Off the Beaten Path of Antimodernism, page 20

Origin

From meta- + criterion.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

metacriterion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metacriterion

MLA

“metacriterion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metacriterion. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “metacriterion,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metacriterion.

Source: metacriterion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.