equivalent
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person or thing that has the same value, purpose, or effect as something else.
n.a person or thing that is equal to or corresponds with another in value, amount, function, or meaning.
Simple“The price of the car is the equivalent of a whole year's salary.”
In context“In many ways, the local council is the administrative equivalent of a small parliament, managing budgets and public services for the entire region.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having the same amount, value, or importance as something else.
adj.equal in value, measure, force, effect, or significance.
Simple“Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles.”
In context“The company offered a compensation package equivalent to six months of the employee's base salary.”
Usageoften followed by the preposition 'to'
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.describing two things that mean the same thing or result in the same value in math or logic.
adj.relating to sets with a one-to-one correspondence or logical statements that are true under the same conditions.
Simple“In this equation, the two expressions are equivalent.”
In context“The professor demonstrated that the two logical propositions were equivalent, meaning that if one is true, the other must also be true.”
Synonymsisomorphiccongruent - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.the specific amount of a substance that reacts with a fixed amount of another substance.
n.the mass of a given substance which will combine with or displace a fixed quantity of another substance.
Simple“The student calculated the chemical equivalent of the acid used in the experiment.”
In context“Determining the electrochemical equivalent is essential for predicting the mass of a substance liberated during electrolysis.”
Synonymsequivalent weight
Usage equivalent in size · approximately equivalent · roughly equivalent
“By the end of July an estimated 1.2 million South Korean personal investor accounts had faced margin calls, equivalent to about one in every 30 working-age adults in the country.”
“Between April 2025 and March 2026, 15,155 people freed from prison had no housing – equivalent to 300 people every week and an 18% increase on the previous year.”
From Latin aequivalentem, accusative singular of aequivalēns, present active participle of aequivaleō (“I am equivalent, have equal power”). By surface analysis, equi- + -valent. Mostly displaced native Middle English efenmete (See evenmete).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.