Equilibrium is a balance between several different influences or aspects of a situation.
[formal]
Stocks seesawed ever lower until prices found some new level of equilibrium.
For the economy to be in equilibrium, income must equal expenditure.
Synonyms: stability, balance, symmetry, steadiness More Synonyms of equilibrium
2. uncountable noun [oft poss NOUN]
Someone's equilibrium is their normal calm state of mind.
I paused in the hall to take three deep breaths to restore my equilibrium.
He had recovered his equilibrium and even his good humour, somehow.
Synonyms: composure, calm, stability, poise More Synonyms of equilibrium
equilibrium in British English
(ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm)
nounWord forms: plural-riums or -ria (-rɪə)
1.
a stable condition in which forces cancel one another
2.
a state or feeling of mental balance; composure
3.
any unchanging condition or state of a body, system, etc, resulting from the balance or cancellingout of the influences or processes to which it is subjected
thermodynamic equilibrium
4. physics
a state of rest or uniform motion in which there is no resultant force on a body
5. chemistry
the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction take place at equal rates
6. physics
the condition of a system that has its total energy distributed among its component parts in the statistically most probable manner
7. physiology
a state of bodily balance, maintained primarily by special receptors in the inner ear
8.
the economic condition in which there is neither excess demand nor excess supply in a market
Word origin
C17: from Latin aequilībrium, from aequi-equi- + lībra pound, balance
equilibrium in American English
(ˌikwɪˈlɪbriəm; also ˌ ɛkwɪˈlɪbriəm)
nounWord forms: pluralˌequiˈlibriums or ˌequiˈlibria (ˌikwəˈlɪbriə)
1.
a state of balance or equality between opposing forces
2.
a state of balance or adjustment of conflicting desires, interests, etc.
3.
a.
the ability of the animal body to keep itself properly oriented or positioned; bodily stability or balance
b.
mental or emotional stability or balance; poise
4.
the condition in a reversible chemical reaction in which the products of the reaction are consumed by the reverse reaction at the same rate as they are formed, and there is no net change in the concentrations of the products or the reactants
5.
the stage of a radioactive material at which the rate of disintegration and the rate of formation are equal for each intermediate product in the radioactive decay series
Word origin
L aequilibrium < aequilibris, evenly balanced < aequus (see equal) + libra, a balance
equilibrium in Mechanical Engineering1
(ikwɪlɪbriəm)
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Energy, thermodynamics and heat transfer)
Equilibrium is a state in which everything stays the same.
According to Newton's Second Law, an object that is in equilibrium will not change its speed.
Whatever the concentrations of all the substances are at equilibrium, they remain the same forever unless a disturbance happens.
Equilibrium is a state in which everything stays the same.
equilibrium in Mechanical Engineering2
(ikwɪlɪbriəm)
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Mechanics and dynamics)
Equilibrium is the state in which all the forces on a body are exactly in balance so that the body does not move.
When all the forces that act on an object are balanced, then the object is said tobe in a state of equilibrium.
An object at rest is in a state of equilibrium.
Equilibrium is the state in which all the forces on a body are exactly in balance so that thebody does not move.
Examples of 'equilibrium' in a sentence
equilibrium
What will continue to happen in the banking system until equilibrium is reached?
Mishkin, Frederic S. Financial Markets, Institutions and Money (1995)
What is the general equilibrium price of rubies and emeralds?
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
What is the new equilibrium price of allowances?
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
After various tactical interludes a situation of dynamic equilibrium has been reached.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We enter a refreshing balance and equilibrium in life.
Christianity Today (2000)
These moves continue until an equilibrium is reached.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
What are the new equilibrium price and quantity sold?
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
The goal is to reach an equilibrium that will be better for all.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
All firms in a perfectly competitive equilibrium situation will be faced with the same prices for capital and labor.
Hunt, E. K. Property and Prophets: The Evolution of Economic Institutions and Ideologies (1995)
Given these endowments, we derive a general equilibrium condition for efficient exchange between these individuals.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
Thus a point of equilibrium would be reached that "explains "a company's given size.
Geoffrey A. Moore LIVING ON THE FAULT LINE, REVISED EDITION (2002)
This process would continue until a new long-run equilibrium is reached in both industries.
Forstner, Helmut, Ballance, Robert Competing in a Global Economy (1990)
On most matters, equilibrium is reached.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
But if life were reducing its internal entropy the chemical equilibrium would be disturbed, as it is on earth.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
If a planet were just a bunch of molecules warmed by the sun, it would be in a chemical equilibrium.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
For our purposes, it is sufficient to know that we can determine the equilibrium return and thus determine the expected return with the equilibrium condition.
Mishkin, Frederic S. Financial Markets, Institutions and Money (1995)
Change of scene, and absence of the necessity for thought, will restore the mental equilibrium.
Jerome K. Jerome Three Men in a Boat (1889)
But it took a long time for me to restore the mental equilibrium that I had once takenfor granted.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In this section, we explain the general equilibrium conditions under which goods are efficientlyproduced and show that a perfectly competitive economy satisfies these conditions.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
It's a Darwinian process that produces a new equilibrium of lower capacity and restored margins.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He wanted to restore the equilibrium, to let his mind catch up with his body back in England.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In this picture, a classic of its kind, the pilots and the press reached a new and sullen equilibrium.
Giles Whittell Spitfire Women of World War II (2007)
Those in the stands, at least, could then take a consoling swig on the rum punch to restore their equilibrium.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
equilibrium
British English: equilibrium NOUN
Equilibrium is a balance between several different influences or aspects of a situation.
Stocks seesawed ever lower until prices found some new level of equilibrium.
American English: equilibrium
Brazilian Portuguese: equilíbrio
Chinese: 平衡
European Spanish: equilibrio
French: équilibre
German: Gleichgewicht
Italian: equilibrio
Japanese: 均衡
Korean: 평형
European Portuguese: equilíbrio
Latin American Spanish: equilibrio
All related terms of 'equilibrium'
equilibrium price
the price at which the quantity of a product offered is equal to the quantity of the product in demand
Nash equilibrium
(in game theory ) a stable state of a system involving the interaction of two or more players in which no player can gain by a unilateral change of strategy if the strategies of the other players remain unchanged
equilibrium constant
The equilibrium constant is the ratio between the amount of reactants and the amount of product for a particular chemical reaction , used to calculate chemical behavior.
punctuated equilibrium
a theory of evolution holding that characteristics of living organisms remain relatively stable for long periods that are infrequently interrupted , or punctuated , by brief periods of relatively rapid evolutionary change, caused as by climatic or geologic changes
thermodynamic equilibrium
the condition of an isolated system in which the quantities that specify its properties, such as pressure, temperature , etc, all remain unchanged
Chinese translation of 'equilibrium'
equilibrium
(iːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm)
n
(c/u) (= balance) 平衡 (pínghéng)
(u) (= composure) 心境的安宁(寧) (xīnjìng de ānníng)
1 (noun)
Definition
a stable condition in which forces cancel one another
For the economy to be in equilibrium, income must equal expenditure.
Synonyms
stability
balance
The medicines you are currently taking could be affecting your balance.
symmetry
the incredible beauty and symmetry of a snowflake
steadiness
evenness
equipoise
counterpoise
2 (noun)
Definition
a state of mental and emotional balance
I paused and took deep breaths to restore my equilibrium.
Synonyms
composure
Stopping briefly to regain her composure, she described her ordeal.
calm
He felt a sudden sense of calm and contentment.
stability
poise
It took a moment for Mark to recover his poise.
serenity
a wonderful feeling of peace and serenity
coolness
They praised him for his coolness under pressure.
calmness
She faced her ordeal with admirable calmness.
equanimity
He faced his defeat with equanimity.
steadiness
self-possession
She found her customary self-possession had deserted her.
collectedness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of balance
Definition
stability of mind or body
The medicines you are currently taking could be affecting your balance.