equivalent 1 of 2

as in counterpart
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value that huge mansion at the end of the street is the equivalent of five ordinary houses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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equivalent

2 of 2

adjective

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of equivalent are equal, identical, same, selfsame, and very. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

When would equal be a good substitute for equivalent?

While in some cases nearly identical to equivalent, equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

Where would identical be a reasonable alternative to equivalent?

Although the words identical and equivalent have much in common, identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

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

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 equivalent?

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 equivalent
Noun
Tapestry devoted the equivalent of 11 percent of sales to marketing in the first quarter, up from 4 percent during fiscal 2019. Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025 According to a report by CBS News, the lions eat about an equivalent of three cows’ worth of meat each week, and the facility is running low on supply. Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Typhoon Kalmaegi brought destruction to the region, making landfall on Tuesday as a Category 1-equivalent hurricane. Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025 All in all, Mercury’s retrograde journey through Sagittarius and Scorpio is equivalent to a truth with a sting. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for equivalent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivalent
Noun
  • Experts say many multinational firms are adopting dual leadership models, where global business unit heads in India co-own strategy and product outcomes with their counterparts at headquarters.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Specifically, supernovae derived from younger stellar populations appear fainter, while their older counterparts appear brighter.
    Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • After an office romance begins, employee retention at the organization drops by six percentage points, meaning turnover is 14% greater than in comparable firms.
    Emily Nix, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Putting aside the visceral appeal of the reference to insider trading, are these allegations actually comparable to criminal insider trading in the securities regime?
    Samidh Guha, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • And to get to play these characters that are layered and complex and multidimensional is really fun — anything where there's a public and a private life, and a secret, and different elements at play, and having to keep different balls in the air is really fulfilling and fun.
    Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Each box of pods follows the same format as their whole bean deliveries, single origin from a range of different coffee-producing countries and ready to drop right into a Keurig machine.
    Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Starbucks is the latest foreign retail business to enlist a local partner to turn around their ailing fortunes in China as a persistent property slump sours consumer appetite for everything from premium luxury goods to ice creams.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
  • According to Kate Jenkins, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Foodbank, its partner food pantries across the state saw increases of 10% to 20% in the number of people needing food.
    Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That said, the extra boost from set-top boxes and connected TVs isn’t likely to beat out the final tally for the analogous broadcast in 2017.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • That case established a new Second Amendment test, holding that modern-day regulations regarding gun rights must have an analogous historical regulation.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The research team underlined that the future work will explore other co-intercalants and optimize electrolytes for even wider temperature ranges.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
  • That’s a significant contrast to other parts of the Forbidden City, marked by wide open spaces intended to represent the grandeur of imperial power and territory.
    Fred He, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The indictment, which was filed on Wednesday and unsealed Sunday, comes on the heels of a series of similar indictments involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
  • There was a similar outcry after Celine Song's Materialists, which (spoiler) ends with Chris Evans proposing with a daisy ring.
    Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Though some people do entirely substitute cannabis for alcohol, this doesn’t appear to be having widespread effects on drinking.
    Kate Bernot, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Georgia was attending college part time and working as a substitute grade-school teacher.
    Bob Cary, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Equivalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivalent. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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