Proxy: meaning, example and synonyms
Proxyn. A person or thing that stands in for another, such as an indirect measure of something unseen.
Example
Because no thermometers existed in the medieval period, climatologists use the width of ancient tree rings as a proxy for the warmth of past summers.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- substitute, stand-in, surrogate, representative
- Antonyms
- principal, the real thing
- Memory tip
- A proxy acts or counts IN PLACE of the real thing.
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Check yourself: Proxy in context
Since the ancient town left no written census, archaeologists treated the number of hearths uncovered in its ruins as their best ______ for the size of its population.
Answer: proxy. Hearth counts stand in for a population figure that can't be measured directly, so proxy fits. deterrence (discouragement through fear of consequences), mentorship (guidance from an experienced person) and craftsmanship (skill in making things) don't fit this context.
Unable to attend the shareholders' meeting, the retired founder sent her nephew to vote as her ______, instructing him to oppose the proposed merger.
Answer: proxy. The nephew votes in her place, acting as her proxy. craftsmanship (skill in making things), deterrence (discouragement through fear of consequences) and parameter (a defining limit) don't fit this context.