tantamount
Americanadjective
adjective
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
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.
The notion of selling AGI to rival powers such Russia and China struck Dario as tantamount to treason, and he considered quitting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
He also called Rohl "a very young man", which was tantamount to telling him to "sit down, you know nothing of this fixture".
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
"For his age, this is tantamount to a life sentence -- an extremely severe punishment," she said.
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
It was tantamount to sticking his injured hand in a lion’s mouth.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025
“It’s elementary grammar. The human specifically stated that entry was forbidden as long as he was alive. That’s tantamount to an invitation when he’s dead.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
