1
as in equilibrium
a condition in which opposing forces are equal to one another
a musical piece with a counterpoise of loud and soft passages
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offset
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
the happiness brought by a new baby was a timely counterpoise to the grief occasioned by a death in the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
her overall healthiness largely counterpoised the virulence of the infection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of counterpoise
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
What’s most remarkable about Torruella’s film is its counterpoise between the sense of raging injustice and the island’s mystic stillness.
—Amada Torruella, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Conflicts of interest are objective situations that arise when a person’s financial interests can be counterpoised to their public responsibilities.
—Matthew Yglesias, Vox, 29 Nov. 2018
Noun
Molina, the embodiment of theatrical excellence, is perfectly cast as the rational counterpoise to Brady’s zealotry.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
What’s most remarkable about Torruella’s film is its counterpoise between the sense of raging injustice and the island’s mystic stillness.
—Amada Torruella, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Verb
Indeed, the Western, that peculiarly American contribution to the world’s store of epic and saga, often depends on the tale of a defeated Confederate at large to enforce virtue, someone whose heroic individualism is counterpoised with the superficial discipline of the federal troops.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Conflicts of interest are objective situations that arise when a person’s financial interests can be counterpoised to their public responsibilities.
—Matthew Yglesias, Vox, 29 Nov. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterpoise
Noun
-
Those trends have created a new equilibrium that are keeping a lid on unemployment even as hiring stays subdued.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
These problems also occurred in the first weeks of the previous cease-fire, which lasted from January to March of this year; once the level of aid reached an equilibrium with the population’s needs, however, the looting abated.—
Jeremy Konyndyk,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The deceleration in hiring, uptick in corporate layoffs, still-weak consumer confidence, struggling housing market are all partial offsets to the thriving corporate and capex sector.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
-
With an increasing share of capital migrating to passive, private credit provides compelling active management offset—and one that also contributes to the long-term health of our economy.—
Mike Terwilliger,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This was something that communism corrected to a certain degree, but not really.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Fitzpatrick ordered prosecutors to immediately correct that.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Psychedelics are famously associated with the hippie counter-culture of the radical ‘60s, but in recent years, their fast-acting effects are being taken more seriously in mainstream medicine.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Mahmood said the suspect was not known to security services, counter-terror police or the Home Office’s Prevent program, a central plank of Britain’s strategy to combat terrorism.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Within a few short years, all effective sources of opposition were neutralized in Hungary.—
Kim Lane Scheppele,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s relentless drone assaults has found a powerful counter in the STING interceptor drone, a compact, fast, and cost-effective weapon designed to neutralize enemy UAVs mid-air.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, every nook and cranny is a thoughtful balance of comfort and refined elegance.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2025
-
According to the current lawsuit, Fletcher has not paid his half of the minimum $1,500 per month restitution for the existing settlement, but his ex-wife has paid her portion, reducing the restitution balance to just under $56,000.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Mamdani’s commitment to sanctuary policies positions him as a direct counterweight to federal immigration enforcement.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Young Hoteliers Academy positions itself as a corrective.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
His most ambitious series to date, Pluribus can be seen as a corrective of sorts—a grand, artful, mind-bendingly philosophical, darkly funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but consistently humane vindication of our fractious species.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterpoise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpoise. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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