tantamount

American  

[tan-tuh-mount] / ˈtæn təˌmaʊnt /

adjective

1. equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or signification.

   His angry speech was tantamount to a declaration of war.

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tantamount British  

/ ˈtæntəˌmaʊnt /

adjective

1. as good (as); equivalent in effect (to)

   his statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt

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Related Words

See equal.

Etymology

Origin of tantamount

First recorded in 1635–45; adjective use of obsolete noun, “that which amounts to as much, something equivalent,” itself a noun use of an obsolete verb, “to amount to as much,” from Anglo-French tant amunter or Italian tanto montare “to amount to as much,” from Latin tantum, neuter of adjective tantus “of such size, so great”; tanto, amount

Example Sentences

For Nora, proximity to her “most dearly held, most fiercely hidden, heart’s desires: life, art, motherhood, love”—in short, what Sirena has—is tantamount to having it herself.

From The Wall Street Journal

For a central bank that is highly data dependent, this is tantamount to flying blind.

From MarketWatch

It was tantamount to sticking his injured hand in a lion’s mouth.

From Los Angeles Times

Out of the blocks quickly in a section that is tantamount to a sprint.

From BBC

The stock market has recovered from so many difficulties that some sophisticated investors view hedging as tantamount to burning money.

From Barron's

Related Words

• commensurate
• identical