fifty-fifty

adjective

fif·​ty-fif·​ty ˌfif-tē-ˈfif-tē 

1

: shared, assumed, or borne equally

a fifty-fifty proposition

2

: half favorable and half unfavorable

a fifty-fifty chance

fifty-fifty adverb

Examples of fifty-fifty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The cast was split about fifty-fifty on why they were drawn to the project— some intrigued by the star power in the directing and writing team of Soderbergh and David Koepp, others by the ghoulish topic alone. —Vulture, 20 Jan. 2024

Brown University, for example, which had an applicant pool that was just under sixty-three per cent female in the 2021-22 application cycle, accepted around seven per cent of the male applicants and around four per cent of the female applicants, to admit a class that was roughly fifty-fifty. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2023

The standard arrangement in the primary market is a fifty-fifty split between the artist and the dealer, but some artists, including Richard Prince and Damien Hirst, can command a larger share. —Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023

The friend who’s examining the balls—guessing or even possibly lying—has a fifty-fifty shot to pick the right one. —Ben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 5 June 2023

Her honest feedback divided her followers fifty-fifty in an Instagram poll. —Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 16 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fifty-fifty

adjective

fif·​ty-fif·​ty

ˌfif-tē-ˈfif-tē

1

: shared equally

2

: half favorable and half unfavorable

a fifty-fifty chance

fifty-fifty adverb