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equal

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noun

equal

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verb

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 Court ruled that unequal representation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and that all citizens’ votes should carry roughly equal weight. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 Combine equal parts vinegar and water in a small bowl, then dampen a cloth with the solution and rub it over the stains. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 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
California’s overall consumer spending in 2024 equaled $65,340 per resident, the fourth-highest among states. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025 Since then, 14 Spartans have equaled the record since Rick Parma set the mark in 1978, with Eljiah Cooks being the last one to do it in 2022. Aaron Johnson, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for equal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equal
Adjective
  • To advocate for and support policies that ensure a healthy, safe, equitable and respectful learning environment, as well as a sense of belonging for each student in our school community.
    Pioneer Press elections team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Ensure equitable pay at the moment decisions are made.
    Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The peppers are identical to habaneros, but without the powerful kick.
    Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Idaho had passed an almost identical law three years earlier.
    Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The assessment by PlanIT Geo also found that only 29% of Pittsburg’s land is suitable for new tree planting, due to impervious surfaces.
    Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Dill quickly found three more suitable classrooms at La Costa Canyon High School for the ATP students.
    Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
  • Feeding should start at very low levels, beginning with a hundred grams of liquid glucose—the equivalent of half a cup of sugar.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Yes, deals get done The diary of the workaday sales exec at most of the major distribs is filled with meetings with their acquisitions exec equivalent.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • From sleek and silky cooling quilts to vintage-style sets complete with matching shams, these cooling bedding finds are ideal for every season and every budget.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The Patriots announced after the game that Maye matched a feat by Tom Brady.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For a growing number of young people, success no longer means landing a corner office—it’s measured by clicks, followers, and going viral.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed inspection.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Equal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equal. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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