Word
tantamount
Phoneticstan·ta·mount
US/ˈtæntəˌmaʊnt/
UK/tˈɑːntɐmˌaʊnt/
Definition
adj. equal in value, importance, or effect to something else. You use this when two things are so similar that one can be seen as the same as the other.
adj. equivalent in value, importance, or effect to something else. Often used in the phrase 'tantamount to', which functions as a linking verb.
Examples
“Refusing to pay the bill is tantamount to a formal complaint.”
“The government's refusal to negotiate was tantamount to a declaration of war on the trade union.”
“While the official report was brief, the implications of the findings were tantamount to a complete overhaul of the existing legal framework.”
Examples
simple
“Refusing to pay the bill is tantamount to a formal complaint.”
contextual
“The government's refusal to negotiate was tantamount to a declaration of war on the trade union.”
complex
“While the official report was brief, the implications of the findings were tantamount to a complete overhaul of the existing legal framework.”
Real-World Examples
“US President Donald Trump has ruled out any sort of joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), arguing it would be tantamount to "giving away secrets" to America's main economic rival.” “The fair’s organizers denied a request to erect a building dedicated to African American achievement, arguing that such a space would be tantamount to permitting segregation .” “But that's tantamount to trashing a million bucks!” Etymology
First attested in English in 1628. Either inherited from an unattested Middle English borrowing from Anglo-Norman tant amount, from amunter, from tant (“as much”) amonter (“to amount to”) or borrowed in the early 17th century from Italian tanto montare (“to amount to as much”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/tantamount