What does equalising mean?
Equalising means making differences smaller or bringing things into equality. In its first sense, it is a transitive verb: equalising pay, opportunities, or contributions means adjusting them so that no relevant disparity remains or is reduced. It can also be used intransitively for an influence, policy, or event that makes people or things more equal. The adjective form is especially common in expressions such as “equalising effect” and “equalising influence.” In British English, the word is associated with the wider idea of levelling inequalities, particularly in social, educational, electoral, and economic contexts, although its literal use can involve balancing measurements, workloads, or resources. The spelling with -ising is standard in British English, while American English generally uses equalizing. Equalising is useful when the emphasis is not merely on making two specific things identical, but on reducing unequal treatment or outcomes.
To make different people or things equal, or to reduce the differences between them.
"The policy aims at equalising educational opportunities across the region."
Commonly transitive, but it can also be used intransitively, especially with words such as effect, influence, or pressure.
Having the effect of making people or things more equal.
"The reform introduced an equalising influence on the allocation of resources."
This is a participial adjective and is especially common before nouns such as effect, influence, and pressure.
Equalising is what you do to a seesaw: not by pretending it is level, but by changing the weight.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does equalising come from?
Equalising is the present-participle and gerund form of equalise, formed from equal and the verb-forming suffix -ise. English equal came through Middle English from Old French equal, ultimately from Latin aequalis, meaning equal or level, which was derived from aequus, meaning even or equal. The related words equality, equity, equation, and equable reflect the same Latin root through different Latin and French developments.
Related word forms
How equalising is actually used
The word is neutral and relatively formal. As a verb, it may be used transitively with the thing being made equal or intransitively with an effect or influence as its subject.
Easily confused with equalising
Equalising and equalizing have the same meaning and belong to different spelling conventions: equalising is chiefly British, whereas equalizing is standard in US English.