Synonyms of scales

scales 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of scale

as in balances

a device for measuring weight

I hate getting on the bathroom scale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• balances
• gravimeters

scales

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of scale

as in plates

a small thin piece of material that resembles an animal scale

scales of mica were embedded in the granite

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plates
• sheets
• lamellae
• chips
• laminae
• slivers
• flakes
• slices
• leaves
• splinters
• splints

scales

3 of 4

noun (3)

plural of scale

1

as in hierarchies

a scheme of rank or order

a student who scored very highly on a standard intelligence scale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hierarchies
• ladders
• rankings
• series
• graduations
• orderings
• levels
• sequences
• arrays
• distributions
• food chains
• degrees
• setups
• situations
• arrangements
• stations
• positions
• disposals
• reaches
• footings
• dispositions
• places
• pecking orders
• statuses
• rungs
• spots
• standings
• echelons

2

as in ranges

the distance or extent between possible extremes

with the scale going from one to ten, what did you think of the movie?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ranges
• spectra
• diapasons
• widths
• stretches
• gamuts
• dimensions
• spreads
• measures
• scopes
• amplitudes
• pitches
• realms
• reaches
• sweeps
• extents
• compasses
• ambits

scales

4 of 4

verb

present tense third-person singular of scale

as in measures

to find out the size, extent, or amount of

scaled the logs to get a rough idea of the amount of usable lumber they were likely to yield

Synonyms & Similar Words

• measures
• gauges
• weighs
• spans
• assesses
• estimates
• judges
• computes
• ascertains
• figures
• calibrates
• evaluates
• calipers
• values
• quantifies
• sums
• calculates
• marks (off)
• determines
• quantitates
• tallies
• appraises
• totals
• figures out
• lays off
• guesses
• finds out
• adds up
• works out
• ciphers
• conjectures
• valuates
• guesstimates
• discovers
• supposes
• reckons
• dopes (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scales

Noun

Kingsolver’s fans appreciate her ability to play at vastly different scales. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Wang, though, says this is not practical as AI scales to trillions of transactions, and makes the case that machine-to-machine monitoring is the only viable option. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

The Beijing entrepreneur spent the summer as chief financial officer of a start-up selling digital scales. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

The company will now evaluate its separation platform against relevant scandium-bearing feedstocks, with the initial research focused on determining whether the technology can support high-purity scandium recovery at larger scales. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026

The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Researchers have long thought that in a turbulent system like a current of water, energy flows in only one direction, from larger scales to smaller ones, or vice versa, depending on the system’s dimensions. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

The Operational Drag Problem As companies scale, administrative overhead scales with them. — Kylie Fuentes, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Mason said experts in her field do not deny the existence of authoritarian personalities on the left, but ended up developing other, less partisan scales including one based on people's values for raising children. — Lisa Hagen, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Verb

Continue reading … REALITY SETS IN — Seattle's socialist mayor scales back on campaign promises amid public safety concerns. — FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Human workload then scales with category ambiguity, not volume. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

This is because the difficulty of computing the wave function scales exponentially with bigger molecules. — Sophya Garashchuk, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Both old and new models start with a base 1TB SSD that scales up identically across 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, and 16TB options. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

Drone battery output scales The converted production line will add to Amprius’ existing manufacturing network spanning the United States, South Korea and China. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Refillable options are no longer confined to specialty stores, and the gap with traditional sticks is narrowing as the category scales. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Someone comfortable risking a larger sum finds better value in BetMGM’s loss insurance model, which scales all the way up to $1,500. — Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026