balanced

[bal-uhnst]

adjective

1. fairly or equally containing a diversity of views, aspects, ingredients, activities, etc..

   The course provides a balanced program of study in painting, design, sculpture, and ceramics.

   Some newspapers provided more balanced coverage of the conflict.

2. being in harmonious or proper arrangement or adjustment, proportion, etc..

   These guidelines will help beginning photographers achieve a balanced composition in each shot.

   Synonyms: evenhanded, impartial, just, equitable, fair

3. (of a budget) showing enough revenue or income to cover all expenses.

   Our newly formed Finance Council will promote a balanced budget and long-range financial planning.

4. (of an investment portfolio) including investments of a variety of types or in a variety of sectors so as to maximize returns with a manageable level of risk.

   Stocks can help you achieve a balanced portfolio when combined with fixed-income investments such as bonds.

5. Football.,  pertaining to or noting an offensive line formation having three linemen on each side of the center.

balanced

/ ˈbælənst /

adjective

1. having weight evenly distributed; being in a state of equilibrium

2. (of a person) mentally and emotionally stable

3. (of a discussion, programme, etc) presenting opposing points of view fairly and without bias

4. (of a diet) consisting of all essential nutrients in suitable form and amounts to maintain health

5. (of a budget) having expenditure no greater than income

6. electronics (of signals or circuitry) symmetrically disposed about earth or other reference potential

7. (of a chemical equation) having the correct relative number of moles of reactants and products

Other Word Forms

• self-balanced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of balanced¹

First recorded in 1585–95; balance + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Together, these remains point to a balanced subsistence strategy that combined fishing, hunting, gathering, and farming.

Read more on Science Daily

It has balanced the budget, improved government aid to the poor by removing political middlemen, and cut a tangle of red tape that was strangling business.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Moving between the 19th century and the present, Stoddard balanced tragedy and comedy with a healthy dose of science and mathematics.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bismuth has called the bill "balanced" and "responsible".

Read more on Barron's

No balanced understanding of Franco can be had without reading his works, especially “The Franco Regime: 1936-1975,” published in 1987, and its final chapter in particular, “The Franco Regime in Perspective.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• equitable 
• fair