tantamount
adjective
Did you know?
Although tantamount (from the Anglo-French phrase tant amunter, meaning “to amount to as much”) was used three different ways in the early 17th century—as a noun, verb, and adjective—the adjective form has since proven paramount to English users: it’s still in use while the noun and verb are obsolete. This is not to say that the adjective hasn’t experienced change over the years. While it was once acceptable to use tantamount in a variety of different sentence structures, nowadays it is almost always followed by the word to. And to use it before a noun, as in “the two old friends exchanged tantamount greetings,” would now be considered, er, tantamount to riding a penny-farthing or boneshaker onto the expressway.
Examples of tantamount in a Sentence
Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
To do so would be tantamount to imposing a ‘speech code’ and our own conservative brand of political correctness.
—Frederic J. Frommer, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
According to the trio of conservative candidates, spending $978 million on the state’s Emergency Assistance shelter system in fiscal 2025 is tantamount to an indictment of the Healey Administration’s ability to manage the state’s other problems.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
The idea the two-time defending champs are tantamount to underdogs to make history is itself a compelling story -- good for the league.
—Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tantamount
Cite this Entry
“Tantamount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tantamount. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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tantamount
adjective
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