equal
/ˈiːkwəl/ adjective, verb, noun
Forms equals equaling equalling equaled equalled æqual æquall
- adjective (not comparable) The same in one or more respects.
- adjective (usually not comparable) The same in value (status, merit, etc): having or deserving the same rights or treatment. “We hold that all men are created equal and are thus equal under the law.”
- adjective The same in all respects that matter practically; interchangeable, fungible, or (even sometimes) identical for practical purposes. “Equal conditions should produce equal results.”
- adjective (mathematics, not comparable) Exactly identical, having the same value. “All right angles are equal.”
- adjective (obsolete) Fair, impartial.
- adjective (comparable) Adequate; sufficiently capable or qualified. “This test is pretty tough, but I think I'm equal to it.”
- adjective (obsolete) Not variable; equable; uniform; even. “an equal movement”
- adjective (music) Intended for voices of one kind only, either all male or all female; not mixed.
- verb (mathematics, copulative) To be equal to, to have the same value as; to correspond to. “Two plus two equals four.”
- verb (transitive) To make equivalent to; to cause to match. “David equaled the water levels of the bottles, so they now both contain exactly 1 liter.”
- verb (transitive) To match in degree or some other quality, to match up to.
- verb (copulative, informal) To have as consequence, to amount to, to mean. “Losing this deal equals losing your job.”
- noun A person or thing of equal status to others. “We're all equals here.”
- noun (obsolete) State of being equal; equality.
Synonyms
equivalent objective unbiased candid cold clinical detached egal equitable evenhanded fairhanded fair-minded disinterested dispassionate impartial imprejudicate indifferent indistinguishing neuter neutral peer match compeer be touch rival equalize equalise equate adequate
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English equal, from Latin aequālis. Doublet of aequalis and egal.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Agreeing in quantity, size, quality, degree, value, etc.; having the same magnitude, the same value, the same degree, etc.; --applied to number, degree, quantity, and intensity, and to any subject which admits of them; neither inferior nor superior, greater nor less, better nor worse; corresponding; alike; as, equal quantities of land, water, etc. ; houses of equal size; persons of equal stature or talents; commodities of equal value.
- adjective Bearing a suitable relation; of just proportion; having competent power, abilities, or means; adequate; as, he is not equal to the task.
- noun One not inferior or superior to another; one having the same or a similar age, rank, station, office, talents, strength, or other quality or condition; an equal quantity or number; as, "If equals be taken from equals the remainders are equal." Those who were once his equals envy and defame him. Addison.
- noun State of being equal; equality. [Obs.] Spenser.
Etymology [L. aequalis, fr. aequus even, equal; akin to Skr. , and perh. to L. unus for older oinos one, E. one.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “equal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details