even1
[ee-vuh n]
- level; flat; without surface irregularities; smooth: an even road.
- on the same level; in the same plane or line; parallel: even with the ground.
- free from variations or fluctuations; regular: even motion.
- uniform in action, character, or quality: to hold an even course.
- equal in measure or quantity: Add even amounts of oil and vinegar.
- divisible by two, as a number (opposed to odd).
- denoted by such a number: the even pages of a book.
- exactly expressible in integers, or in tens, hundreds, etc., without fractional parts: an even seven miles.
- Mathematics. (of a function) having a sign that remains the same when the sign of each independent variable is changed at the same time.
- equally balanced or divided; equal: Check to see if the scales are even.
- leaving no balance of debt on either side; square: We will not be even until I can repay him for saving my life.
- calm; placid; not easily excited or angered: an even temper.
- equitable, impartial, or fair: an even bargain.
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- evenly: The road ran even over the fields.
- still; yet (used to emphasize a comparative): even more suitable.
- (used to suggest that something mentioned as a possibility constitutes an extreme case or an unlikely instance): Even the slightest noise disturbs him. Even if he attends, he may not participate.
- just (used to emphasize occurrence, coincidence, or simultaneousness of occurrences): Even as he lay dying, they argued over his estate.
- fully or quite: even to death.
- indeed (used as an intensive for stressing the identity or truth of something): He is willing, even eager, to do it.
- exactly or precisely: It was even so.
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- to make even; level; smooth (sometimes followed by out): to even a board with a plane.
- to place in an even state as to claim or obligation; balance (often followed by up): to even up accounts.
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- to become even: The odds evened before the race.
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- even out,
- to make or become even, smooth, or flat: The wrinkles will even out when the suit dries.
- to become equal, balanced, stable, etc.: optimistic that the situation would even out eventually.
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- break even, to have one's profits equal one's losses; neither gain nor lose: The company barely broke even last year.
- get even, to be revenged; retaliate: He vowed to get even for the insult.
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Origin of even1
before 900; (adj.) Middle English; Old English efen; cognate with Gothic ibns, Old High German eban, Old Norse jafn even, equal; (adv.) Middle English even(e), Old English efne, derivative of the adj.; (v.) Middle English evenen, Old English efnan to lower, derivative of the adj.
Synonyms
See more synonyms for even on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
1. irregular. 12. mercurial. 13. biased.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for evenness
Historical Examples
There was an evenness about the strange voice that she understood better than its words.
DustMr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
"Let us begin at the beginning," he replied, with an effort to imitate the evenness of her tone.
The Lure of the MaskHarold MacGrath
The outlines which had been sharp were now blurred, its evenness had become scraggly.
Greener Than You ThinkWard Moore
It is impossible to write with composure or evenness on this subject.
Shadows of ShastaJoaquin Miller
Never; you have yourself always admired me for my evenness of temper.
Ten Years LaterAlexandre Dumas, Pere
even1
- level and regular; flatan even surface
- (postpositive foll by with) on the same level or in the same plane (as)one surface even with another
- without variation or fluctuation; regular; constantan even rate of progress
- not readily moved or excited; placid; calman even temper
- equally balanced between two sidesan even game
- equal or identical in number, quantity, etctwo even spoonfuls of sugar
- (of a number) divisible by two
- characterized or indicated by such a numbermaps are on the even pages Compare odd (def. 4)
- relating to or denoting two or either of two alternatives, events, etc, that have an equal probabilityan even chance of missing or catching a train
- having no balance of debt; neither owing nor being owed
- just and impartial; fairan even division
- exact in number, amount, or extentan even pound
- equal, as in score; levelnow the teams are even
- maths (of a function) unchanged in value when the sign of the independent variable is changed, as in y = z ²See odd (def. 8)
- even money
- a bet in which the winnings are the same as the amount staked
- (as modifier)the even-money favourite
- get even informal to exact revenge (on); settle accounts (with)
- of even date law formal, or obsolete of the same or today's date
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- (intensifier; used to suggest that the content of a statement is unexpected or paradoxical)even an idiot can do that
- (intensifier; used with comparative forms)this is even better
- notwithstanding; in spite ofeven having started late she soon caught him up
- used to introduce a more precise version of a word, phrase, or statementhe is base, even depraved
- used preceding a clause of supposition or hypothesis to emphasize the implication that whether or not the condition in it is fulfilled, the statement in the main clause remains valideven if she died he wouldn't care
- archaic that is to say; namely (used for emphasis)he, even he, hath spoken these things
- archaic all the way; fullyI love thee even unto death
- even as (conjunction) at the very same moment or in the very same way thateven as I spoke, it thundered
- even so in spite of any assertion to the contrary: nevertheless
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- to make or become even
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Word Origin
Old English efen; related to Old Norse jafn even, equal, Gothic ibns, Old High German eban
even2
Word Origin
Old English ǣfen; related to Old Frisian ēvend, Old High German āband
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 evenness
even
adj.
Old English efen "level," also "equal, like; calm, harmonious; quite, fully; namely," from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (cf. Old Saxon eban, Old Frisian even "level, plain, smooth," Dutch even, Old High German eban, German eben, Old Norse jafn, Danish jævn, Gothic ibns).
Etymologists are uncertain whether the original sense was "level" or "alike." Used extensively in Old English compounds, with a sense of "fellow, co-" (e.g. efeneald "of the same age;" Middle English even-sucker "foster-brother"). Of numbers, from 1550s. Modern adverbial sense (introducing an extreme case of something more generally implied) seems to have arisen 16c. from use of the word to emphasize identity ("Who, me?" "Even you," etc.) Sense of "on an equal footing" is from 1630s. Rhyming reduplication phrase even steven is attested from 1866; even break first recorded 1911. Even-tempered from 1875.
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even
v.
"to make level," Old English efnan (see even (adj.)).
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even
n.
"end of the day," Old English æfen, Mercian efen, Northumbrian efern (see eve).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
even
[ē′vən]
- Divisible by 2 with a remainder of 0, such as 12 or 876.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with evenness
even
In addition to the idioms beginning with even
- even money
- even so
also see:
- break even
- never give a sucker an even break
- on an even keel
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.