equilibrium

[ee-kwuh-lib-ree-uhm, ek-wuh-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR equilibrium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural e·qui·lib·ri·ums, e·qui·lib·ri·a [ee-kwuh-lib-ree-uh, ek-wuh-] /ˌi kwəˈlɪb ri ə, ˌɛk wə-/.

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

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

mental or emotional balance; equanimity: The pressures of the situation caused her to lose her equilibrium.

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

Origin of equilibrium

1600–10; < Latin aequilībrium, equivalent to aequi- equi- + lībr(a) balance + -ium -ium

Related formse·quil·i·bra·to·ry

[ih-kwil-uh-bruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, ee-kwuh-lib-ruh-, ek-wuh-] /ɪˈkwɪl ə brəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˌi kwəˈlɪb rə-, ˌɛk wə-/, adjectivenon·e·qui·lib·ri·um, noun

Synonyms for equilibrium

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR equilibrium ON THESAURUS.COM

1. equipoise, steadiness, stability.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for equilibrium

stability, symmetry, calmness, serenity, composure, counterpoise, equanimity, coolness, stasis, poise, rest, steadiness, calm, counterbalance, polish, equipoise, cool

Examples from the Web for equilibrium

Contemporary Examples of equilibrium

But how many of us, thus sunk in despair, have not been vaulted back to equilibrium by another look at Groundhog Day?
Harold Ramis’s ‘Groundhog Day’ Is About as Perfect as a Movie Gets
Malcolm Jones
February 25, 2014
Since 1989, this arrangement has provided a workable degree of stability, but one based on an equilibrium of unstable elements.
Is Syria Being 'Lebanized' or is Lebanon Being 'Syrianized'?
Hussein Ibish
August 29, 2013
Lebanese politics for more than a decade have been characterized by an equilibrium of unstable elements.
Is Syria Being 'Lebanized' or is Lebanon Being 'Syrianized'?
Hussein Ibish
August 29, 2013
But by 2009, Aaron seemed to her to be regaining his equilibrium.
Aaron Hernandez’s Terrifying Past
Michael Daly
July 22, 2013
The key thing here is that the use of handguns in gang conflicts is at least in part an equilibrium problem.
Another Example of Bullet Control
Justin Green
December 17, 2012

Historical Examples of equilibrium

She was not going to have the equilibrium of her party disturbed, and that was all about it.
Quaint Courtships
Various
It simply must be done to preserve the equilibrium and avoid a spill.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
The equilibrium which had shown a tendency to be established in her, was upset.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
His equilibrium was upset, he again trembled with violent fever, as formerly.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
We have seen the worst of the English sparrow; he has now found his equilibrium.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker

British Dictionary definitions for equilibrium

equilibrium

noun plural -riums or -ria (-rɪə)

a stable condition in which forces cancel one another

a state or feeling of mental balance; composure

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 subjectedSee thermodynamic equilibrium

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

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

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

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

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

Word Origin for equilibrium

C17: from Latin aequilībrium, from aequi- equi- + lībra pound, balance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for equilibrium

c.1600, from Latin aequilibrium, from aequus "equal" (see equal) + libra "a balance, scale, plummet" (see Libra).

equilibrium in Medicine

equilibrium

[ē′kwə-lĭb′rē-əm, ĕk′wə-]

n.

A condition in which all influences acting upon it are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system.

The state of a chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products does not change with time.dynamic equilibrium

Mental or emotional balance.

equilibrium in Science

equilibrium

[ē′kwə-lĭb′rē-əm]

Plural equilibriums equilibria

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.♦ If a system is in static equilibrium, there are no net forces and no net torque in the system.♦ If a system is in stable equilibrium, small disturbances to the system cause only a temporary change before it returns to its original state.

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.

equilibrium in Culture

equilibrium

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.

Note

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.

equilibrium

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.)