equilibrium

American  

[ee-kwuh-lib-ree-uhm, ek-wuh-] / ˌi kwəˈlɪb ri əm, ˌɛk wə- /

noun

• equilibriums,
  plural
• equilibria
  plural

1. 

   a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.

   Synonyms:

   stability, steadiness, equipoise

2. equal balance between any powers, influences, etc.; equality of effect.

3. mental or emotional balance; equanimity.

   The pressures of the situation caused her to lose her equilibrium.

4. Chemistry. the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction proceed at equal rates.

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equilibrium British  

/ ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm /

noun

1. a stable condition in which forces cancel one another

2. a state or feeling of mental balance; composure

3. any unchanging condition or state of a body, system, etc, resulting from the balance or cancelling out of the influences or processes to which it is subjected See thermodynamic equilibrium

4. physics a state of rest or uniform motion in which there is no resultant force on a body

5. chem the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction take place at equal rates

6. physics the condition of a system that has its total energy distributed among its component parts in the statistically most probable manner

7. physiol a state of bodily balance, maintained primarily by special receptors in the inner ear

8. the economic condition in which there is neither excess demand nor excess supply in a market

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equilibrium Scientific  

/ ē′kwə-lĭb′rē-əm /

• equilibriums
  plural

1. Physics The state of a body or physical system that is at rest or in constant and unchanging motion. A system that is in equilibrium shows no tendency to alter over time.

2. Physics ◆ If a system is in static equilibrium, there are no net forces and no net torque in the system.

3. Physics ◆ If a system is in stable equilibrium, small disturbances to the system cause only a temporary change before it returns to its original state.

4. Chemistry The state of a reversible chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products remains the same.

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equilibrium ¹ Cultural  

1. A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics, equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object. In chemistry, it occurs when chemical reactions are proceeding in such a way that the amount of each substance in a system remains the same. (See chemical equilibrium.)

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equilibrium ² Cultural  

1. In economics, a state of the economy in which for every commodity or service (including labor), total supply and demand are exactly equal. Equilibrium is never actually attained; it is approximated by movements of the market.

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Discover More

Keynesian economics departed from conventional economic theory in demonstrating that economic equilibrium and full employment need not occur together. Therefore, as a system tends toward equilibrium, it might not eliminate unemployment.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonequilibrium
  noun
• equilibratory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• equilibria
  plural
• equilibriums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of equilibrium

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin aequilībrium, from aequi- equi- + lībr(a) “balance” + -ium -ium

Explanation

Equilibrium is a state of balance. If you play sports so much that you don't have time for your studies, you need to study more and play less, until sports and studying reach a point of equilibrium. Or become a professional athlete. The word equilibrium is commonly used to refer to mental or emotional balance, and a near synonym in this sense is composure. In chemistry, equilibrium is the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction occur at equal rates. This noun is from Latin aequilībrium, from the prefix aequi-, "equal" plus lībra, "a balance, scale."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equilibrium equilibria equilibriums

This has freed up more homes for buyers and returned demand and supply to a healthier equilibrium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

“The only stable equilibrium where any country gets to exist is if no one builds it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Today, something in that fragile equilibrium was broken forever."

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

"It's whether they have enough resilience to return to equilibrium afterwards."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Then Leah can chill the heck out, and equilibrium will be restored.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

“These two equilibria are self-fulfilling. As soon as a critical mass of bondholders believe they are in a given equilibria their behavior assures that they are!”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Multiple equilibria are possible in a game like this.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Such properties include a wide variety of measurable traits such as phase equilibria, density, or heat capacity, for example, that characterize physical systems and determine how chemical processes work.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024

"For fundamental research into the dynamics of nutrients and other equilibria in tidal areas, it is very important to understand the role of temperature, salinity, benthic animals and also turmoil by storms."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2024

By the preservation in successive generations of those whose moving equilibria are less at variance with the requirements, there is produced a changed equilibrium completely in harmony with the requirements.

From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 14 The New Era; A Supplementary Volume, by Recent Writers, as Set Forth in the Preface and Table of Contents by John Lord

Recent efforts in de-extinction have focused on the Tasmanian tiger, as its natural habitat in Tasmania is still mostly preserved, and its reintroduction could help recovering past ecosystem equilibriums lost after its final disappearance.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2023

Engineers and architects strive to achieve extremely stable equilibriums for buildings and other systems that must withstand wind, earthquakes, and other forces that displace them from equilibrium.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

Mr. Varoufakis agreed that in the Greece example, “the game has multiple equilibriums and, therefore, a failure to agree may trigger a chain of outcomes that no one can either predict or control.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2015

Nash equilibriums, which he described in the hieroglyphics of mathematical symbols, exist everywhere.

From Washington Post ● May 24, 2015

Mr. Spokesly might be a man of inferior calibre, easily swayed by the prospect of easy money, but his mind swung naturally to the equilibriums of respectability.

From Command by William McFee

Related Words

• calmness
• composure
• serenity
• stability
• symmetry