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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
-
That equilibrium was thought to be because of cloud cover.—
Ryan Green,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
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Moreover, the Fed is highly attuned to the downside risks to a labor market caught in a fragile ‘low hiring, low firing’ equilibrium.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The calendar, which is printed on carbon offset paper with vegetable inks, features a different rescue dog each month, each with their own survival story and wearing their own fabulous fascinator.—
Monique Jessen,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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The bottom line is that when the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates, borrowing costs generally will come down; however, the offset is that the rate of return for checking and savings accounts will fall.—
Kevin Cerveny,
Kansas City Star,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His teachers corrected his posture and his hands; the angle of the arms and the way the wrist releases into the top of the drum, or drum head which usually is made from animal skin.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
-
This story has been updated to correct the officer's rank.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Sift the flours into a mound in a large bowl or on a clean work counter and make a well in the center.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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Online commenters claiming to have attended the protests said some rallies were disrupted by supporters of the Counter-Racist Action Collective, an organization that has staged counter-protests in the past.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What’s more, opponents have neutralized his impact as a runner in recent weeks.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Some critics have interpreted the ending as a glib last-minute twist that threatens to neutralize the story’s potency and dismisses the seriousness of the movie’s premise.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Subtle hints of vanilla bean and cocoa add sweetness and balance to the scent profile, and its black jar goes with just about anything.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
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The remaining balance would be paid directly to Black folk once a year.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
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The 2025 College Rankings from Washington Monthly offer a corrective.—
Bruno V. Manno,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to the outlets, the pair heard a loud bang and the elevator cabin jammed before eventually falling down the shaft, along with a number of concrete counterweights.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.—
Vivienne Walt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterpoise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpoise. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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