tantamount

adjective

tan·ta·mount ˈtan-tə-ˌmau̇nt

Synonyms of tantamount next

: equivalent in value, significance, or effect

a relationship tantamount to marriage

Did you know?

Although tantamount (from the Anglo-French phrase tant amunter, meaning “to amount to as much”) was used three different ways in the early 17th century—as a noun, verb, and adjective—the adjective form has since proven paramount to English users: it’s still in use while the noun and verb are obsolete. This is not to say that the adjective hasn’t experienced change over the years. While it was once acceptable to use tantamount in a variety of different sentence structures, nowadays it is almost always followed by the word to. And to use it before a noun, as in “the two old friends exchanged tantamount greetings,” would now be considered, er, tantamount to riding a penny-farthing or boneshaker onto the expressway.

Examples of tantamount in a Sentence

His statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt. They see any criticism of the President as tantamount to treason.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

His pitch: a $1 million daily lottery giveaway to swing-state voters, which some argue is tantamount to trying to buy votes and is being challenged in court in Philadelphia. —

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 2024 The minority possess their rights, which [an] equal law must protect, and [the violation of which] would be tantamount to oppression. —

Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Applied to elections, this description would be tantamount to an unambiguous outcome. —

Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2024 Zaslav’s perspective on deregulation in media — that a lighter touch would inherently mean more big-money deals — is tantamount to life or death for legacy media. —

Alex Sherman, CNBC, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for tantamount