tantamount
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
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”; see tanto, amount
Explanation
When something is tantamount to another thing it is essentially its equivalent. For some animal activists, wearing fur is tantamount to murder. Tantamount often refers to an action or thing being compared to another greater action or quality, as in, “Missing your finals is tantamount to dropping out of college.” While the two sides are essentially equal, you would not say, "Dropping out of school is tantamount to missing your finals.” A related word is paramount, which means “the highest” or “primary.”
Vocabulary lists containing tantamount
100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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Life of Pi
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But there was a storm of criticism, with many saying that destroying the house would be tantamount to denying Austria's Nazi past.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Helping your mother figure out how she got into this mess is not tantamount to becoming emotionally enmeshed in her problems.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
It added that the measures were "tantamount to the financial death penalty," as the judges are unable to use credit cards, access banking services and use online platforms like Amazon and Google.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Daniel thinks the public should know; Scanlon says telling the world would be tantamount to unleashing a dangerous virus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Any attempt we make to oppose these outbursts of energy is tantamount to signing our death warrant.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
