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index

index

298 4.4
A number that shows how something changes, like prices or pollution
  • noun
  • /ˈɪndɛks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : índice
  • For the top five programs, the excess credit index ranges from 4% to 12%.
  • body mass index
  • price index
  • composite index

That's that's really what is kind of the index of mortgage rates, right.

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Examples

  • Frequency statistics were calculated for the participants' Body Mass Index, dieting patterns, and exercise participation.

    Academic text (2008)
  • India today unveiled a new air quality index to raise awareness of dangerous pollution levels.

  • Given this knowledge, where a family lives becomes an index of its social standing.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The larger the therapeutic index, the safer the drug.

  • For the top five programs, the excess credit index ranges from 4% to 12%.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The change in the median value of the house price index from 2000 to 2006 was $60,000.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The Labor Department says the Consumer Price Index rose three-tenths of a percentage point in March.

Synonyms

indicator
vsindex
  • Specialized
135 3.7

A number that shows how a situation changes over time

is a defined number used to measure and compare those changes
measure
vsindex
92 2.5

A standard used to compare people or things

is specifically a numeric ratio for measuring change over time or place
metric
vsindex
68 4.2

A measure used to judge the performance or success of something

is a single numeric ratio rather than a whole measurement system
index number
vsindex
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A number that shows how things like prices change over time or between places

is the shorter common term for that statistical number
indicant
vsindex
  • Specialized
9.2

A number that shows how a situation or trend changes over time

is a broader number used for measuring and comparing changes
scale value
vsindex
4.6

A number that shows how something compares to other things

is focused on measuring change rather than placing a number on a scale

Compounds

32 1.0

A finger next to the thumb used for pointing or pressing

price index
  • Specialized
15 3.2

A number that shows how prices of goods and services change over time

consumer price index
  • Specialized
8 3.9

An official measure of how prices people pay for goods and services change over time

index fund
  • Specialized
7 4.8

A fund that buys the same stocks or bonds as a market index to match its returns

stock index
  • Specialized
6 3.4

A number that shows how a group of stocks is doing

body mass index
  • Specialized
4 3.2

A number that shows if a person's weight is healthy for their height

1 6.3

A number that shows changes in prices companies that make things get when they sell to shops or other businesses

index case
  • Specialized
1 6.7

First known person in an outbreak who helps trace where the disease came from

refractive index
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A number that shows how much a material slows light compared with empty space

stock market index
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A number that shows how prices of selected stocks change over time

card index
  • Archaic
1 4.4

A set of cards that people arrange in alphabetical order to list and find items like books

cost-of-living index
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A number showing how much money a typical household needs for basic goods and services

index number
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A number that shows how things like prices change over time or between places

index of refraction
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A number showing how much light slows in a material compared to empty space

stock-index futures
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A contract that lets people bet on or protect against changes in a stock market index

breadth index
  • Specialized
9.9

The skull's widest measurement as a percent of its longest measurement

business index
  • Specialized
3.5

A number showing how active businesses are in an economy over time

cephalic index
  • Specialized
9.1

The percent of a skull's width compared with its length used to describe skull shape

Computer system that stores people's DNA profiles so police can find matches in criminal cases

A note in a book that points to related information in another part

cranial index
  • Specialized
9.9

The percent of a skull's maximum width compared with its maximum length

adiabatic index
  • Specialized
9.9

A number comparing how much heat a gas holds at fixed pressure and fixed volume

facial index
  • Specialized
9.2

How wide a face is compared to its height, shown as a percent

index fossil
  • Specialized
8.2

A fossil of an animal or plant that lived in one time period and helps identify and date rock layers

index register
  • Specialized
7.0

A small storage inside the computer that changes an address to find data in memory

An official measure of how consumer prices change over time

thumb index
  • Specialized
7.2

Small cuts in a book edge that help you open to chapters

5.1

A number that shows how a group of stocks is doing in the market

wholesale price index
  • Specialized
3.9

A number that shows how prices of goods sold in large amounts change over time

How Complex

Standard and Poor's Index
  • Specialized
5.1
index
  • Specialized
298 4.4
metrics
  • Specialized
1 3.5
accounting ratio
  • Specialized
4.4
ratio
  • Specialized
240 2.8

Surface Forms

index singular
indexes plural
indices plural

Etymology

Index is related to the verb indicate and originally meant a 'sign' or 'pointer'. In science and the news an index is a number that points to the level of something, like pollution or prices. That's why an air quality index or price index shows how high or low a thing is.