equivalence

noun

equiv·​a·​lence i-ˈkwi-və-lən(t)s 

-ˈkwiv-lən(t)s

1

a

: the state or property of being equivalent

b

: the relation holding between two statements if they are either both true or both false so that to affirm one and to deny the other would result in a contradiction

2

: a presentation of terms as equivalent

3

: equality in metrical value of a regular foot and one in which there are substitutions

Synonyms

• equivalency
• equality

Examples of equivalence in a Sentence

the equivalence of the two propositions

moviegoers who mistakenly believe that there is an equivalence between the personality of an actor and that of his character

Recent Examples on the Web

Modern platforms can deliver the operational equivalence that teams expect: advanced virtual machine (VM) lifecycle management, high-availability (HA) clustering, backups, disaster recovery (DR) and more. —Madhura Maskasky, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

To this end, campaigners forged an equivalence between taking sugar and drinking human blood. —Literary Hub, 29 July 2025

Trump has repeatedly drawn an equivalence between the Russia controversy and the Epstein case, suggesting both amounted to conspiracy-mongering by his political opponents. —Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 19 July 2025

Traditional testing models like equivalence partitioning or boundary analysis must now be complemented with new approaches tailored to AI behavior. —Pradeep Govindasamy, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing equivalence

• equivalence class
• equivalence relation

Rhymes for equivalence

• ambivalence

Kids Definition

equivalence

noun

equiv·​a·​lence i-ˈkwiv(-ə)-lən(t)s 

: the quality or state of being equivalent

Medical Definition

equivalence

noun

equiv·​a·​lence i-ˈkwiv(-ə)-lən(t)s 

: the state or property of being equivalent