equilibrium
noun
Simple meaning
A system in which competing influences are balanced, resulting in no net change.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
eekwuhlihbreeuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ikwəˈlɪbɹiəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced, resulting in no net change.
chemistry
A chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates
chemistry
The state of a reaction in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are the same.
Mental balance.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The condition of a system in which competing influences are balanced, resulting in no net change.
Used this way, equilibrium is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- chemical equilibrium , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use equilibrium
- “The body tries to maintain an internal equilibrium to stay healthy.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The ratio of concentrations when equilibrium is reached in a reversible reaction (when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction).
The principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction.
The principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction.
A stable state of a system that involves several interacting participants in which no participant can gain by a change of strategy as long as all the other participants remain unchanged.
A theory of evolution holding that evolutionary change in the fossil record came in fits and starts rather than in a steady process of slow change.
A sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: a system in which competing influences are balanced
Antonyms
Sense: a system in which competing influences are balanced
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.