equivalent

See also: équivalent

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin aequivalentem, accusative singular of aequivalēns, present active participle of aequivaleō (“to be equivalent, have equal power”). By surface analysis, equi- +‎ -valent.

Mostly displaced native Middle English efenmete.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/
    • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

equivalent (comparative more equivalent, superlative most equivalent)

  1. Similar or identical in value, meaning or effect; virtually equal.
    Synonyms: on a par, equipollent (formal)
    To burn calories, a thirty-minute jog is equivalent to a couple of hamburgers.
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      For now to serve and to minister, servile and ministerial, are terms equivalent.
    • 2012 March, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3:
      A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place. Applying a force tangential to the knob is essentially equivalent to applying one perpendicular to a radial line defining the lever.
    • 2024 November 15, Kristen Rogers, “Want to live an extra 5 to 10 years? Adopt this habit, study suggests”, in CNN‎[2], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 11 July 2025:
      Total activity levels in the lowest quartile were equivalent to walking for 49 minutes at roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) per hour daily. Total activity levels in the second-, third- and fourth-highest quartiles were equivalent to 78, 105 and 160 minutes, respectively.
  2. (mathematics) Of two sets, having a one-to-one correspondence.
    Synonym: equinumerous
    • 1950, E. Kamke, Theory of Sets, page 16:
      All enumerable sets are equivalent to each other, but not to any finite set.
    • 2000, N. L. Carothers, Real Analysis, page 18:
      Equivalent sets should, by rights, have the same "number" of elements. For this reason we sometimes say that equivalent sets have the same cardinality.
    • c. 2005, P N Gupta Kulbhushan, Comprehensive MCQ's in Mathematics, page 3:
      Finite sets A and B are equivalent sets only when n(A) = n(B) i.e., the number of elements in A and B are equal.
    • 2006, Joseph Breuer, Introduction to the Theory of Sets, page 41:
      The equivalence theorem: If both M is equivalent to a subset N1 of N and N is equivalent to a subset M1 of M, then the sets M and N are equivalent to each other.
  3. (mathematics) Relating to the corresponding elements of an equivalence relation.
  4. (mathematics, category theory) Of two categories, (informally) such that one is essentially a relabeling of the other; (formally) related by a pair of functors such the composition of the one with the other is naturally isomorphic to the identity functor.
  5. (chemistry) Having the equal ability to combine.
  6. (cartography) Of a map, equal-area.
  7. (geometry) Equal in measure but not admitting of superposition; applied to magnitudes.
    A square may be equivalent to a triangle.

Usage notes

  • In mathematics, this adjective can be used in phrases like “A and B are equivalent”, “A is equivalent to B”, and, less commonly, “A is equivalent with B”.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

equivalent (plural equivalents)

  1. Anything that is virtually equal to something else, or has the same value, force, etc.
    Coordinate term: counterpart
    He's the Italian equivalent of a district attorney.
  2. (chemistry) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
  3. (chemistry) An equivalent weight.

Usage notes

  • Sometimes the noun equivalent to denote a comparable option is assailed for falsely implying absence of difference (false equivalence); when this problem arises, the noun counterpart, or a collocation such as rough equivalent or near equivalent, is sometimes a less misleading choice. In some contexts, the nouns analog or homolog are apt.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

equivalent (third-person singular simple present equivalents, present participle equivalenting, simple past and past participle equivalented)

  1. (transitive) To make equivalent to; to equal.

Catalan

Etymology 1

    Learned borrowing from Latin aequivalentem. First attested in 1696.[1]

    Pronunciation

    Adjective

    equivalent m or f (masculine and feminine plural equivalents)

    1. equivalent

    Noun

    equivalent m (plural equivalents)

    1. equivalent
    2. (chemistry) equivalent

    References

    1. ^ “equivalent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

    Further reading

    Etymology 2

    Verb

    equivalent

    1. gerund of equivaldre
    2. gerund of equivaler

    Dutch

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Middle French équivalent, from Latin aequivalēns.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˌeː.kʋi.vaːˈlɛnt/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Hyphenation: equi‧va‧lent
    • Rhymes: -ɛnt

    Adjective

    equivalent (not comparable)

    1. equivalent

    Declension

    Declension of equivalent
    uninflected equivalent
    inflected equivalente
    comparative —
    positive
    predicative/adverbial equivalent
    indefinite m./f. sing. equivalente
    n. sing. equivalent
    plural equivalente
    definite equivalente
    partitive equivalents

    Derived terms

    Noun

    equivalent n (plural equivalenten, no diminutive)

    1. equivalent

    Descendants

    • → Indonesian: ekuivalen, ekuivalensi

    Occitan

    Etymology

    From Latin aequivalēns.

    Pronunciation

    Adjective

    equivalent m (feminine singular equivalenta, masculine plural equivalents, feminine plural equivalentas)

    1. equivalent
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