Word
indicator
Meanings
A sign or measurement that shows the state or progress of something.
A device feature that shows a status, level, or direction.
Definition
An indicator is something that shows what a situation is like or how it is changing.
An indicator is a sign, measure, or piece of information that helps you understand a condition, trend, or performance. It can be a number, a signal, or an observable feature that points to something else. People use indicators to monitor progress, compare results, or predict what may happen next.
Examples
- Rising customer churn is a clear indicator that our onboarding needs urgent improvement.
- In the lab, you can use an indicator to reveal when the solution has reached the endpoint.
- For the recruitment team, response time is an indicator of how smoothly the process is running.
- The blinking indicator on the router helped me pinpoint the connection problem within minutes.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse indicator with indicate, using the noun where a verb is needed (e.g., 'This indicator that...' instead of 'This indicates that...').
More at C1 level
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More nouns
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