tantamount
adjective
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
Peter Kenyon, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Her attorneys, in their most recent filings, are calling the latest incidents tantamount to civil rights violations along with fire and safety hazards.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024
In the past, acts perceived as being tantamount to even mild rebellion were punished — and quickly.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
Supporters say that keeping that spending below the rate of inflation is tantamount to a cut, forcing agencies to be more frugal and focus manpower on top priorities.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024
Noah Garden Garden was promoted to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Business & Media at the beginning of February, a sign that the upheaval with MLB local media rights is of tantamount importance.
—Maury Brown, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
This team had taken a step back, and in the competitive AFC, that was perceived as tantamount to a death sentence.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
Opposing ideas and even compromise have become tantamount to a crime in that party, hobbling the functioning of our government, and threatening the very foundation of our democracy.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2024
When choices and priorities are guided by values, a sense of purpose and fulfillment will follow, which is tantamount to long-term organizational success.
—Christoph Knitter, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tantamount.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tantamount
Cite this Entry
“Tantamount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tantamount. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tantamount
adjective
Share