equivalent

[ih-kwiv-uh-luhnt, ee-kwuh-vey-luhnt]

adjective

1. equal in value, measure, force, effect, significance, etc..

   His silence is equivalent to an admission of guilt.

2. corresponding in position, function, etc..

   In some ways their prime minister is equivalent to our president.

3. Geometry.,  having the same extent, as a triangle and a square of equal area.

4. Mathematics.,  (of two sets) able to be placed in one-to-one correspondence.

5. Chemistry.,  having the same capacity to combine or react chemically.

noun

1. something that is equivalent.

equivalent

/ ɪˈkwɪvələnt /

adjective

1. equal or interchangeable in value, quantity, significance, etc

2. having the same or a similar effect or meaning

3. maths

   1. having a particular property in common; equal

   2. (of two equations or inequalities) having the same set of solutions

   3. (of two sets) having the same cardinal number

4. maths logic (of two propositions) having an equivalence between them

noun

1. something that is equivalent

2. short for equivalent weight

equivalent

1. Equal, as in value, meaning, or force.

2. 1. Of or relating to a relation between two elements that is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive.

   2. Having a one-to-one correspondence, as between parts. Two triangles having the same area are equivalent, as are two congruent geometric figures.

Other Word Forms

• equivalently adverb
• nonequivalent adjective
• nonequivalently adverb
• quasi-equivalent adjective
• quasi-equivalently adverb
• superequivalent adjective
• unequivalent adjective
• unequivalently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of equivalent¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin aequivalent- (stem of aequivalēns ), present participle of aequivalēre. See equi-, -valent

Word History and Origins

Origin of equivalent¹

C15: from Late Latin aequivalēns, from aequivalēre to be equally significant, from Latin aequi- _equi- + valēre to be worth

Synonym Study

See equal.

Example Sentences

And while others have piled into shares of big tech behemoths, Berkshire has pared its position in Apple and built its cash pile to a record $344 billion, including equivalents, by the end of June.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I understand that each child will get the equivalent of 50% of my Social Security payment until they are 18.

Read more on MarketWatch

The Pentagon finally figured out that putting all your satellites in a few billion-dollar baskets is the military equivalent of wearing a “kick me” sign in a bad neighborhood.

Read more on MarketWatch

What the Dodgers did was the baseball equivalent of building a breathtaking mansion but forgetting to install any toilets.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Spanish bank, which also operates in Mexico, South America and Turkey, said Thursday that it made a net profit of 2.53 billion euros, equivalent to $2.94 billion, for the three months ended Sept. 30.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• commensurate 
• comparable 
• corresponding 
• equal 
• identical 
• proportionate 
• tantamount