equivalent

[ih-kwiv-uh-luh nt or for 5, ee-kwuh-vey-luh nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR equivalent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

equal in value, measure, force, effect, significance, etc.: His silence is equivalent to an admission of guilt.

corresponding in position, function, etc.: In some ways their prime minister is equivalent to our president.

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

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

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

noun

something that is equivalent.

Origin of equivalent

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

Related formse·quiv·a·lent·ly, adverbnon·e·quiv·a·lent, adjective, nounnon·e·quiv·a·lent·ly, adverbqua·si-e·quiv·a·lent, adjectivequa·si-e·quiv·a·lent·ly, adverbsu·per·e·quiv·a·lent, adjective, nounun·e·quiv·a·lent, adjectiveun·e·quiv·a·lent·ly, adverb

Can be confusedequivalent equivocal

Synonyms for equivalent

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR equivalent ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See equal.

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

Related Words for equivalent

identical, comparable, corresponding, equal, proportionate, tantamount, commensurate, even, agnate, correspondent, like, reciprocal, duplicate, correlative, carbon, convertible, copy, parallel, substitute, ditto

Examples from the Web for equivalent

Contemporary Examples of equivalent

It was the equivalent of becoming a black Klansman or Jewish Nazi.
The Sydney Astrologer Turned Islamic Radical
Jacob Siegel
December 16, 2014
The two scientific stories resort to the equivalent of Mathematics for Dummies andPhysics for Dummies.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014
I was lost, fresh back from Vietnam, searching, maybe, for a peril the equivalent of war but aimed in the direction of life.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear
Doug Peacock
November 23, 2014
Since 2004, US oil output has jumped by about 56 percent, the equivalent of pumping an extra 3.1 million barrels a day.
Why the Keystone XL Pipeline May Not Be Built
Robert Bryce
November 19, 2014
There is no Kevin Spacey equivalent in video game voice acting.
Kevin Spacey Stars as a Frank Underwood-like Warmonger in ‘Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’
Alec Kubas-Meyer
November 8, 2014

Historical Examples of equivalent

There is no good English equivalent for Soto's title of Adelantado.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
The "wicked uncle" then ascended the throne, or its equivalent.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
Here we have the equivalent of exactly 24 pounds per horsepower.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
All this was equivalent to my formal adoption as Mr. Stewart's son.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
If you get the laugh you have your equivalent, and the writer has his.
Uncles Josh's Punkin Centre Stories
Cal Stewart

British Dictionary definitions for equivalent

equivalent

adjective

equal or interchangeable in value, quantity, significance, etc

having the same or a similar effect or meaning

maths

having a particular property in common; equal
(of two equations or inequalities) having the same set of solutions
(of two sets) having the same cardinal number

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

noun

something that is equivalent

short for equivalent weight

Derived Formsequivalently, adverb

Word Origin for equivalent

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

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 equivalent

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French equivalent and directly from Late Latin aequivalentem (nominative aequivalens) "equivalent," present participle of aequivalere "be equivalent," from Latin aequus "equal" (see equal) + valere "be well, be worth" (see valiant). As a noun from c.1500.

equivalent in Medicine

equivalent

[ĭ-kwĭv′ə-lənt]

adj.

Equal, as in value, force, or meaning.

equivalent in Science

equivalent

[ĭ-kwĭv′ə-lənt]

Equal, as in value, meaning, or force.

Of or relating to a relation between two elements that is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive.
Having a one-to-one correspondence, as between parts. Two triangles having the same area are equivalent, as are two congruent geometric figures.