Index: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically used in statistics, economics, and finance to denote a composite measure that summarizes and tracks the changes in a representative group of individual data points.

• The Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of a market basket of consumer goods and services

General term used to denote something that provides information or signals a trend or condition.

• Economic indicators such as GDP and unemployment rates help assess the health of the economy

Used in various fields to refer to a standard unit used to express the size, amount, or degree of something.

• The measure of success in education is often student achievement

Often used in business and finance to refer to a standard or point of reference against which other things can be compared or assessed.

• Company performance is often evaluated against industry benchmarks

Use 'index' when referring to the process of creating a systematic list, often for purposes of easy searching or reference.

• The author created an index at the end of the book to help readers find topics quickly
• The library staff are working to index all the new books

Use 'catalog' when referring to a comprehensive list of items, often including descriptions and organized systematically, usually in a book, online, or database format.

• She spent hours browsing the library’s online catalog
• The museum is currently updating its catalog of ancient artifacts

Use 'organize' when referring to arranging items in a structured and systematic way, usually to improve efficiency or order.

• She likes to organize her desk before starting work
• The event planner needs to organize all the materials for the conference

Use 'classify' when talking about organizing items into specific groups or categories based on shared characteristics.

• The biologist needed to classify the newly discovered species
• The librarian will classify the books by genre and author