Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Equal in value, amount, function, meaning, or effect: Describes something that has the same worth, significance, or purpose as something else, though it may appear different in form.
   • Corresponding or virtually identical: Used to indicate that one thing can serve as a substitute for another because they are essentially the same in the context being considered.

2. Noun:

   • A person or thing that is equal to another: Something that has the same value, measure, force, effect, or significance as something else.
   • Chemistry: A unit of combining capacity: The atomic weight of an element that combines with or replaces a standard weight (e.g., 8 grams of oxygen) of another element.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:

  • The two currencies are equivalent in value. (They have the same monetary worth.)
  • A nod can be equivalent to a "yes" in some situations. (It carries the same meaning.)
  • This task requires the equivalent skill level of a master carpenter. (It demands an equal amount of skill.)

• Noun:

  • She paid the fee in cash or its equivalent in goods. (She paid with something of equal value.)
  • In this reaction, one gram of hydrogen is the equivalent of eight grams of oxygen. (It refers to the chemical combining capacity.)
  • He is considered the modern equivalent of a Renaissance scholar. (He is a person equal to another in qualities.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be equivalent to": This is the standard prepositional phrase used with the adjective form.
  • Silence in this court is equivalent to consent.
• Mathematical/Logical Equivalence: Used to state that two statements or expressions have the same truth value or yield the same result.
  • In Boolean algebra, A AND B is equivalent to NOT (NOT A OR NOT B).

Variants and Related Words

• Equivalence (noun): The state of being equivalent.
  • The equivalence of the two formulas was proven.
• Equivalently (adverb): In an equivalent manner.
  • The rule can equivalently be stated as follows.

Synonyms

• Equal: Identical in quantity or value.
• Comparable: Similar and able to be compared.
• Tantamount: Equivalent in seriousness or effect (used for abstract concepts, often negative).
  • His refusal was tantamount to a betrayal.
• Commensurate: Corresponding in size, degree, or extent.

Antonyms

• Different: Not the same.
• Unequal: Not equal in quantity, value, or rank.
• Disparate: Essentially different in kind.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Functional equivalent: Something that performs the same function as another, even if structurally different.
  • For this recipe, yogurt is a functional equivalent for sour cream.
• Equivalent weight: (Chemistry) The mass of a substance that combines with or displaces a standard amount of another substance.

Adjective

1. being essentially equal to something
   • it was as good as gold
   • a wish that was equivalent to a command
   • his statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt

Noun

1. the atomic weight of an element that has the same combining capacity as a given weight of another element; the standard is 8 for oxygen
2. a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc
   • send two dollars or the equivalent in stamps