Equilibrium

/ikwɪˈlɪbriəm/

IPA guide

Other forms: equilibria; equilibriums

Equilibrium is a state of balance. If you play sports so much that you don't have time for your studies, you need to study more and play less, until sports and studying reach a point of equilibrium. Or become a professional athlete.

The word equilibrium is commonly used to refer to mental or emotional balance, and a near synonym in this sense is composure. In chemistry, equilibrium is the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction occur at equal rates. This noun is from Latin aequilībrium, from the prefix aequi-, "equal" plus lībra, "a balance, scale."

Definitions of equilibrium

noun
a stable situation in which forces cancel one another

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antonyms:
disequilibrium
loss of equilibrium attributable to an unstable situation in which some forces outweigh others

types:
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balance
a state of equilibrium

balance of power
an equilibrium of power between nations

dynamic balance
(aeronautics) the state of equilibrium in which centrifugal forces due to a rotating mass (e.g., a propeller) do not produce force in the shaft and so vibration is reduced

homeostasis
(physiology) metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes

isostasy
(geology) a general equilibrium of the forces tending to elevate or depress the earth's crust

Nash equilibrium
(game theory) a stable state of a system that involves several interacting participants in which no participant can gain by a change of strategy as long as all the other participants remain unchanged

poise
a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium

thermal equilibrium
a state in which all parts of a system are at the same temperature

tension
a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature)

electrolyte balance
an equilibrium between the amounts of electrolytes (as calcium and sodium and potassium) that is essential for normal health and functioning

nitrogen balance
the balance between the amount of nitrogen taken in (to the soil or the body) and the amount given off (lost or excreted)

type of:
situation, state of affairs
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
noun
equality of distribution

synonyms: balance, counterbalance, equipoise

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types:
conformation
a symmetrical arrangement of the parts of a thing

proportion, symmetry
balance among the parts of something

type of:
construction, structure
a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
noun
a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

synonyms: labyrinthine sense, sense of balance, sense of equilibrium, vestibular sense

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type of:
proprioception
the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts
noun
when a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates

synonyms: chemical equilibrium

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types:
acid-base balance, acid-base equilibrium
(physiology) the normal equilibrium between acids and alkalis in the body

type of:
chemical reaction, reaction
(chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others

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