yardstick vs criterion

yardstick and criterion both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
yardstick	Yes	No	No	No
criterion	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, criterion is a hypernym of yardstick; that is, criterion is a word with a broader meaning than yardstick:

yardstick: a measure or standard used for comparison
criterion: a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

Other hypernyms of yardstick include measure, standard, touchstone.

yardstick (noun)	criterion (noun)
a ruler or tape that is three feet long	the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
a measure or standard used for comparison	a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated