equivalent

American  

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

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

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

The largest fire in Gironde region, where the city of Bordeaux is situated, burnt about 42,000 hectares of land - roughly equivalent in size to the Isle of Wight.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

He also claimed to have raised five million pounds, equivalent to around $6.7 million, for charity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

As housing costs, especially “owner’s equivalent rent,” make up the largest component of the official inflation calculations, the two often march hand in hand.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Last week, Marubeni boosted its investment plan, including capital expenditure, for the three fiscal years through March 2028 to ¥1.95 trillion, equivalent to $12.23 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

French has also acquired the word expérimentation, which is now sometimes used as if it were equivalent to ‘experiment’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The long, slender fibers from the plant could be used to make products that are both stronger and softer than wood-based equivalents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Cash and equivalents plus short-term investments are at about $4.8 billion, while debt is at around $6.5 billion, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The new European discovery is that once you step out of America’s first-tier cities, you find places that also are an order of magnitude “more so” than Europe’s equivalents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

SpaceX noted alongside the bond announcement that as of June 19, it held approximately $100.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Compare the professionalese on the left with the concrete equivalents on the right: Participants were tested under conditions of good to excellent acoustic isolation.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

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