in·di·ca·tor ( n d-k  t r)n. 1. One that indicates, especially: a. A pointer or an index. b. An instrument used to monitor the operation or condition of an engine, furnace, electrical network, reservoir, or other physical system; a meter or gauge. c. The needle, dial, or other registering device on such an instrument. 2. Chemistry Any of various substances, such as litmus or phenolphthalein, that indicate the presence, absence, or concentration of another substance or the degree of reaction between two or more substances by means of a characteristic change, especially in color. 3. Ecology A plant or animal whose existence in an area is strongly indicative of specific environmental conditions. 4. Any of various statistical values that together provide an indication of the condition or direction of the economy. |
indicator
Noun
1. something that acts as a sign or indication: an indicator of the moral decline of our society
2. a device for indicating that a motor vehicle is about to turn left or right, esp. two pairs of lights that flash
3. an instrument, such as a gauge, that registers or measures something
4. Chem a substance used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction, usually by a change of colour
| indicator (nd-ktr) A chemical compound that changes color and structure when exposed to certain conditions and is therefore useful for chemical tests. Litmus, for example, is an indicator that becomes red in the presence of acids and blue in the presence of bases. |
In intelligence usage, an item of information which reflects the intention or capability of a potential enemy to adopt or reject a course of action.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  indicator - a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of timefact - a statement or assertion of verified information about something that is the case or has happened; "he supported his argument with an impressive array of facts" BMI, body mass index - a measure of someone's weight in relation to height; to calculate one's BMI, multiply one's weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one's height in inches; overweight is a BMI greater than 25; obese is a BMI greater than 30 business index - a statistical compilation that provides a context for economic or financial conditions; "this business index is computed relative to the base year of 2005" leading indicator - one of 11 indicators for different sections of the economy; used by the Department of Commerce to predict economic trends in the near future price index, price level - an index that traces the relative changes in the price of an individual good (or a market basket of goods) over time short account - the aggregate of short sales on an open market stock index, stock market index - index based on a statistical compilation of the share prices of a number of representative stocks |
| 2. | indicator - a signal for attracting attention signal, signaling, sign - any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped" point of reference, reference point, reference - an indicator that orients you generally; "it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved" | |
| 3. | indicator - a device for showing the operating condition of some system annunciator - an indicator that announces which electrical circuit has been active (as on a telephone switchboard) cursor, pointer - (computer science) indicator consisting of a movable spot of light (an icon) on a visual display; moving it allows the user to point to commands or screen positions device - an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose; "the device is small enough to wear on your wrist"; "a device intended to conserve water" dial - the circular graduated indicator on various measuring instruments fuel gauge, fuel indicator - an indicator of the amount of fuel remaining in a vehicle gnomon - indicator provided by the stationary arm whose shadow indicates the time on the sundial spirit level, level - indicator that establishes the horizontal when a bubble is centered in a tube of liquid indicator lamp, pilot lamp, pilot light - indicator consisting of a light to indicate whether power is on or a motor is in operation pointer - an indicator as on a dial scale - an indicator having a graduated sequence of marks test paper - paper impregnated with an indicator for use in chemical tests tidemark - indicator consisting of a line at the highwater or low-water limits of the tides | |
| 4. | indicator - (chemistry) a substance that changes color to indicate the presence of some ion or substance; can be used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction or (in medicine) to test for a particular reaction chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions absorption indicator - an indicator used in reactions that involve precipitation acid-base indicator - an indicator that changes color on going from acidic to basic solutions alpha-naphthol test, Molisch reaction, Molisch test, Molisch's test - biochemical indicator of the presence of carbohydrates in a solution; if carbohydrates are present a violet ring is formed by reaction with alpha-naphthol in the presence of sulfuric acid oxidation-reduction indicator - an indicator that shows a reversible color change between oxidized and reduced forms coloring material, colour, colouring material, color - any material used for its color; "she used a different color for the trim" |
indicator
Translations
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