Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Equality in distribution, as of weight, relationship, or emotional forces; equilibrium.
- noun A counterpoise; a counterbalance.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To bring into a state of equipoise or balance; hold in equipoise.
- To counterbalance.
- noun An equal distribution of weight; equality of weight or force; just balance; a state in which the two ends or sides of a thing are balanced or kept in equilibrium: as, hold the scales in equipoise.
- noun A balancing weight or force; a counterpoise.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Equality of weight or force; hence, equilibrium; a state in which the two ends or sides of a thing are balanced, and hence equal; state of being equally balanced; -- said of moral, political, or social interests or forces.
- noun Counterpoise.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A state of
balance ;equilibrium . - noun A
counterbalance . - verb transitive To act or make to act as an equipoise.
- verb transitive To cause to be or stay in equipoise.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun equality of distribution
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I used to believe in having a good time, and all that sort of nonsense; but I've come to see that what he calls equipoise is the true road to happiness, and that it's best to leave off
A Romantic Young Lady Robert Grant 1896
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Clute's concept of "equipoise" is important to those types of stories.
Strange Fiction 8 Hal Duncan 2006
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Or would it be more powerful to leave the truth unknown, leave the play in equipoise, an exemplar of Todorov's fantastique?
Archive 2010-01-01 Hal Duncan 2010
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Partial/Total: Conventionally, fantastique employs partial warp morphing, placing credibility and determinacy warps in equipoise, while mystery fiction employs total warp morphing, recasting all alethic quirks as cryptica.
Archive 2009-06-01 Hal Duncan 2009
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Or would it be more powerful to leave the truth unknown, leave the play in equipoise, an exemplar of Todorov's fantastique?
Modality and Hamlet Hal Duncan 2010
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I am not a "follower" or "joiner," but the one thing I received that day was exactly what the word equipoise defines: a state of balance and poise.
Marjorie Hope Rothstein: What's Your Word Of The Year For 2011? Marjorie Hope Rothstein 2011
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Partial/Total: Conventionally, fantastique employs partial warp morphing, placing credibility and determinacy warps in equipoise, while mystery fiction employs total warp morphing, recasting all alethic quirks as cryptica.
Notes Toward a Theory of Narrative Modality Hal Duncan 2009
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I am not a "follower" or "joiner," but the one thing I received that day was exactly what the word equipoise defines: a state of balance and poise.
Marjorie Hope Rothstein: What's Your Word Of The Year For 2011? Marjorie Hope Rothstein 2011
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"follower" or "joiner," but the one thing I received that day was exactly what the word equipoise defines: a state of balance and poise.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Marjorie Hope Rothstein 2011
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The first time I heard the word "equipoise" was in an all-day Siddha Yoga Intensive with the Siddha Guru, Gurumayi.
Marjorie Hope Rothstein: What's Your Word Of The Year For 2011? Marjorie Hope Rothstein 2011
kewpid commented on the word equipoise
“A tense equipoise currently prevails among the Justices of the Supreme Court, where four hard-core conservatives face off against four moderate liberals. Anthony M. Kennedy is the swing vote, determining the outcome of case after case.”
— ‘The Choice’, The New Yorker (13 October 2008)
October 4, 2008
dontcry commented on the word equipoise
Sounds to me like one of the points a judge would rate in an equestrian event.
October 26, 2009
john commented on the word equipoise
“Sometimes people fault Obama for being too cool. I can see their point 5 percent of the time, but 95 percent of the time, it’s good to have a president with equipoise.”
The New York Times, The Calm, Cool and Collected President, by David Brooks and Gail Collins, May 5, 2010
May 6, 2010
asniaasim commented on the word equipoise
(http://www.stephenfry.com/2008/11/04/dont-mind-your-language%E2%80%A6/)
December 21, 2010
qms commented on the word equipoise
A wise soul takes pause and enjoys
The balance of duties and joys.
When harsh day is done
Yet night not begun
He savors the brief equipoise.
September 16, 2017