equipoise
Americannoun
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an equal distribution of weight; even balance; equilibrium.
-
a counterpoise.
verb (used with object)
noun
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even balance of weight or other forces; equilibrium
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a counterbalance; counterpoise
verb
Etymology
Origin of equipoise
Explanation
Looking for a really fancy way to say "balance" or "equilibrium"? Then stand up straight and try equipoise on for size. When broken down into its etymological parts, equipoise is simply equi, meaning "equal," plus "poise." Equal poise: a balance of weight, forces or interests. So tight-rope walkers have excellent equipoise, as do balance beam gymnasts. And when the U.S. Senate is made up of half Republicans, half Democrats? There should be some equipoise of power, but that usually just leads to stalemate.
Vocabulary lists containing equipoise
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As Sam Sacks writes of this posthumously published collection of short stories, “Segal never loses her equipoise, or her sense of humor, in these most extreme confrontations with mortality.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
This equipoise held for four very productive years, but there comes a moment in all love stories when one partner gets fidgety and starts to pull away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
In medicine, when there is genuine uncertainty as to whether the benefits of a treatment outweigh the harms - called equipoise - some ethicists argue there's a moral obligation to scientifically study such treatments.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2024
Often we think that if we are not happy, it's our problem, and we just have to show more grit, or the new terminology, more "mindfulness," and we'd achieve greater equipoise.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2023
Certainly much of Katherine’s equipoise came from her father, Joshua.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
It’s the sort of thing those who’ve avoided playing Minecraft but still find it intriguing should pay attention to—an exquisite, LEGO-like builder deftly equipoised between structured and freeform play.
From Time ● Dec. 19, 2016
He will be self-centred, equipoised, and ever master of himself.
From Architects of Fate or, Steps to Success and Power by Marden, Orison Swett
He will be a self-centered, equipoised, and ever master of himself.
From Pushing to the Front by Marden, Orison Swett
This calling was too precarious to suit his equipoised mind.
From Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by Judson, L. Carroll
July 3.—Whoever wishes to know how, in Mr. Seward's mind, right and law are equipoised, should read the correspondence between the State Department and the Attorney-General in the case of a criminal runaway from Saxony.
From Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863 by De Gurowski, Adam G., count
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
