equivalent

American  

[ih-kwiv-uh-luhnt, ee-kwuh-vay-luhnt] / ɪˈkwɪv ə lənt, ˌi kwəˈveɪ lənt /

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.

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noun

• equivalents
  plural

1. something that is equivalent.

equivalent British  

/ 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

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noun

1. something that is equivalent

2. short for equivalent weight

equivalent Scientific  

/ ĭ-kwĭv′ə-lənt /

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.

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Synonym Usage

See equal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• equivalents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of equivalent

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

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Explanation

If two things are basically the same, you can say that they're the equivalent of each other. Like, studying advanced physics is the equivalent of banging your head against the wall. Equivalent's Latin roots are "equal" and "value," which suggests that the word originally was used to describe things that had the same value. Now it can be used to describe things that have the same effect, or importance, or role — for example, "England's Parliament is the equivalent of America's Congress." It can also be used as an adjective: "Eating a bowl of Sugar Pops for breakfast is equivalent to starting your day with two scoops of ice-cream."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equivalent equivalents

In October 2023, he announced payments of 250,000 rubles, equivalent to around $2,700, for any Russian serviceman who supplied information to aid Ukraine’s war effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

That is equivalent to 15.4 million hours of education.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

There was no equivalent buyback “cliff” at the end of July, again suggesting this time round, staging a recovery may be more difficult.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

It said it expects to see an on-quarter rise in hydrocarbon output to 2.45 million to 2.50 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, from 2.395 million in the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

That was equivalent to 22,710 hours spent on the ocean floor.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Chief Executive Kris Licht figured they were talking about China’s equivalents of Amazon.com and Walmart+.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Whatever you choose, your portfolio should have an age-appropriate mix of stocks and bonds, and cash equivalents.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Adjusted for inflation, the rough equivalents today would be more than $700,000 in income and net worth of $6.6 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

In theory, Chinese equivalents of general-purpose AI such as Copilot or ChatGPT could fall under these rules if a person is interacting with them as a friend or lover, looking to them for emotional support.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

He simply handed the matter to his superiors, who conferred with their equivalents at Deutsche Bank, and finally agreed to wire over $600 million.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

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

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