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.
Mark Bernstein, then-board chair, said at the time it would be tantamount to “selling our soul to private capital.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"These guidelines are tantamount to choking international media in an increasingly shrinking space," said political commentator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 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
Keeping her informed about your actions is tantamount to saying, “It all goes to you.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
To do what he asked was tantamount to my transferring entirely out of Hampden College into his own little academy of ancient Greek, student body five, six including me.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
