equal 1 of 3

adjective

ˈē-kwəl How to pronounce equal (audio)
Definition of equalnext
1
as in equitable
marked by justice, honesty, and freedom from bias the basic belief that everyone is entitled to equal opportunity in employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in identical
resembling another in every respect as far as I can see, except for the high price, the store-brand jacket is equal to the jacket with the designer label

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in suitable
having the required skills for an acceptable level of performance looking for someone equal to the challenge of running a large state university

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in composed
free from emotional or mental agitation he proceeded, in an equal tone, to recount the terrible events of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

equal

2 of 3

noun

as in equivalent
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value a basketball player who truly has no equal in his sport

Synonyms & Similar Words

equal

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to match
to produce something equal to (as in quality or value) no one has equaled Shakespeare's plays

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to mean
to be the same in meaning or effect being confined to home for a whole weekend would equal a death sentence in the minds of a lot of teens

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to parallel
to be the exact counterpart of in the British system a public school equals an American prep school

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word equal different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of equal are equivalent, identical, same, selfsame, and very. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

When might equivalent be a better fit than equal?

In some situations, the words equivalent and equal are roughly equivalent. However, equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

When is identical a more appropriate choice than equal?

The synonyms identical and equal are sometimes interchangeable, but identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

How are the words same and selfsame related as synonyms of equal?

Same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.

took the same route
derived from the selfsame source

How does the word very relate to other synonyms for equal?

Very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of equal
Adjective
The bank upgraded the pharma giant to overweight from equal weight. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025 After days of explosive online back-and-forth with Nicki Minaj (and a few jabs tossed toward JT), the Bronx rapper hopped on social media with her first video addressing the fiasco that was equal parts warning and reminder. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
The second one is that the deliberation needs to be among equals; people need to have more or less the same influence in the conversation. —ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025 Also looming on the horizon is the Sony Alpha 6500, which should at least be the equal of the Alpha 6300 in terms of image quality and autofocus speed, and adds in-body image stabilization, a larger shooting buffer, and a touch screen, all for $1,400. —PC Magazine, 23 July 2025
Verb
As Brynjolfsson’s work has shown, most jobs consist of dozens of different tasks, and AI can only equal or beat human performance on some of them. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025 The study leaves big questions open, including whether QMA equals QMA1. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for equal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equal
  1. equitable
  2. identical
  3. suitable
  4. composed
  5. equivalent
  6. match
  7. mean
  8. parallel
Adjective
  • How can hospitals, clinics and health care workers make sure that breastfeeding support is available to everyone and is equitable?
    — Ann Kellams, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Last season, with a more equitable split, Theodore kept up the same level of performance and production.
    — The Athletic NHL, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Definition of equitable
Adjective
  • Luckily, the brand also makes this pair, which looks almost identical to hers and is a cool $60 off.
    — Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Connection differences aside, the two Bio keys look identical, which is a common theme among the Yubico keys, which tend to be small, sleek, and black, with gold metallic accents.
    — PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2025
Definition of identical
Adjective
  • As comedians from Bill Burr to Kevin Hart were slammed for performing at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, Dave Chappelle said the Middle Eastern nation is actually more suitable for stand-up than the United States.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Garlic from the grocery store is not suitable for growing.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of suitable
Adjective
  • Only on particularly bumpy tarmac did the GTS-spec suspension become too jarring with the adaptive dampers stiffened up in sport mode, but switching them to normal offered the best of both worlds—excellent, composed body control and tuning that ironed out imperfections remarkably well.
    — Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The vocabulary being used by Qatar’s prime minister is strong, evocative and damning, a departure from his usual composed response to the incessant twists and turns of trying to end the 23-month war in Gaza.
    — Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of composed
Noun
  • Despite a disparaging 1-3 start to the year for Florida, SEC Network’s College GameDay equivalent, SEC Nation, set up camp in GainesvilleSaturday.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Last month, Evercore analysts joined the overwhelming Street consensus and downgraded Texas Roadhouse from a buy-equivalent to a neutral rating.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Definition of equivalent
Verb
  • That matched Denver’s success rate on its first eight third-down attempts of the game.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • What is the Powerball payout on matching 2 lottery numbers?
    — Chris Sims, IndyStar, 5 Oct. 2025
Definition of match
Verb
  • If Ohtani is to be treated as a normal starter, however, could that mean changes in how the Dodgers deploy him?
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Fall is here, which means leaves are falling.
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of mean
Verb
  • Malkovich's role, meanwhile, parallels the Hunger Games timeline depicted in the original book and film quartet, in which Snow was played by the late Donald Sutherland.
    — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Boggs’s work on Baldwin, which began in the late 1990s with a campaign to revive the long out-of-print children’s novel, Little Man, Little Man, paralleled the return of Baldwin’s writing to prominence and his rise to the status of cultural icon.
    — Megan Marshall September 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Definition of parallel

Browse Nearby Words

equable
equal
equaled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Equal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equal. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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