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equivalent

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: équivalent

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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

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

Adjective

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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], 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

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  • 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

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Translations

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