Meaning & use
co-equal
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformal
Having the same importance, status, or power as another person or group.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: co-equal partners; They are co-equal.
Patterns
- co-equal partners
- co-equal branches
- be co-equal with someone
The constitution makes the three branches of government co-equal.
In a healthy marriage, partners should be co-equal.
The two countries signed a treaty as co-equal nations.
Common combinations
- co-equal partners
- The two companies are co-equal partners in the project.
- co-equal branches of government
- The president said the three branches are co-equal.
- co-equal status
- They demanded co-equal status in the negotiations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- equal
- Equal is more general and can describe any kind of sameness; co-equal specifically means equal in rank or power.
- peer
- Peer is a noun meaning someone of the same age or status; co-equal is an adjective describing that relationship.
Opposites
Word family
- co-equality noun
- The state of being equal in status or power.
Commonly confused: co-equal or coequal?
co-equal vs coequal
Co-equal and coequal are the same word; co-equal is the British spelling, coequal is common in American English.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'co-equal' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Co-equal means having the same status, so it fits describing departments. Option B uses it as a verb, which it is not; option C uses it as a noun; option D uses 'than' which does not go with co-equal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “co-equal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.