Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective equable differ from other similar words?

The words even and steady are common synonyms of equable. While all three words mean "not varying throughout a course or extent," equable implies lack of extremes or of sudden sharp changes.

maintain an equable temper

When would even be a good substitute for equable?

The words even and equable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, even suggests a lack of variation in quality or character.

an even distribution

In what contexts can steady take the place of equable?

The synonyms steady and equable are sometimes interchangeable, but steady implies lack of fluctuation or interruption of movement.

steady progress

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of equable Wolcott is an equable type with cropped dark hair and a preference for business-casual attire, which in the Pacific Northwest qualifies as formal wear. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 The elves with which the casual viewer or reader is familiar may be noble, equable creatures. Jack Butler, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023 The climate of the Pala valley is delightfully balmy and equable. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2023 Its colorful international cast of players and their equable manager, Carlo Ancelotti — returning after years to reverse the team’s fortunes — might easily have been invented in a Hollywood writers room. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023 Where Haldane was a volatile, disruptive and unpredictable force, doing both great work and some considerable damage, full of bracing insights but sometimes ethically purblind, Mr. Subramanian is just, equable, generous and reliable in all his judgments. Richard Davenport-Hines, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2020 The young world of aviation came away thinking that L.A. — with its basin of wide, flat places and equable weather — was indeed the place for aviation’s future. Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023 He was simply bowled over by the beauty and the energy of the place, the broad-mindedness, the equable weather, the dramatic geography. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2022 The equable-nerd manner that colleagues once noted in Alito deserted him soon after Barack Obama became President. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2022

Thesaurus Entries Near equable

Cite this Entry

“Equable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equable. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on equable

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!