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
Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
For taking the life of an innocent child, Lightner said, Ismael deserved a sentence long enough to be tantamount to a life term with no parole.
—Ed Palattella, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for tantamount 
Dictionary Entries Near tantamount
Cite this Entry
“Tantamount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tantamount. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tantamount
adjective
Share