touchstone

"The Moon is a kind of touchstone for us - and an important conceptual stepping stone on our way to Mercury."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

And Perlis’ storytelling skills make it seem like good fun as he pingpongs from artist to artist, each somehow inventing a meaningful, or at least recognizable, cultural touchstone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Unsurprisingly John Chamberlain’s metal sculptures that captured the energy of Abstract Expressionism in three dimensions are a touchstone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

The film, which also featured Brad Pitt in his first major film role, was a critical and popular success while also becoming a feminist touchstone.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

It is an anchor, a promise of the future, a touchstone.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

And just always having that through line of, “What were the touchstones of Carolyn as a young woman, and where did I want her to end up physically?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Constable’s famously crusted, white-flecked surfaces, as seen in this painting’s coarsely textured beams and choppy canal water, and in its windswept, cloud-filled skies, became touchstones in his work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

And of course, Bad Bunny is hugely popular across the United States, which has among the largest Spanish-speaking populations globally -- so why wouldn't he take part in one of the country's cultural touchstones?

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

That context makes it clearer to understand why, four decades after it flopped in theaters, “Labyrinth” and Bowie’s work in it are now beloved cultural touchstones.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

Family mottoes, touchstones, prayers of sorts, they boasted of honor and glory, promised loyalty and truth, swore faith and courage.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin