What does levelling mean?
Levelling is the act or process of making something level, even, or uniform. Literally, it may refer to flattening a surface, grading a road, or bringing objects into line with one another. Figuratively, it describes reducing differences between people or groups, as in discussions of levelling educational opportunities, incomes, or social status. The word can also refer to something becoming progressively flatter or more equal, often expressed in constructions such as “levelling off.” Although the term is broadly neutral, its figurative use may be politically sensitive because it can imply either a desirable reduction in inequality or an unwanted removal of meaningful distinctions. It is also associated with the construction levelling the playing field, in which advantages are reduced so that participants face more equal conditions. In British English the standard spelling has two l’s, whereas American English commonly uses one.
nounThe act or process of making something level, even, or uniform. It can also refer to reducing differences between people, groups, or things so that they are treated on an equal basis.
- The process of making a surface or object flat, even, or level.
- The process of reducing or removing differences among people, groups, or things.
- The process of becoming level, uniform, or equal.
"The council approved the levelling of the road to make the journey safer."
"Levelling the soil before planting helped the seedlings establish themselves."
"The scholarship programme was intended to contribute to the levelling of educational opportunities."
Usually used as an uncountable process; the plural is uncommon and may refer to separate acts or stages of levelling.
"The floor required several levellings before the boards sat completely flush."
The word’s Latin ancestor meant a small balance or plumb line: an instrument for deciding what counts as level.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does levelling come from?
The word ultimately comes through Old French from the Latin libella, meaning a level or plumb line and also a diminutive of libra, a balance or pair of scales. The Latin root also underlies English words such as libel and libra. The present English form developed through the verb “level,” which was formed from this vocabulary, and the ending “-ing” expresses the process of making something level.
Related word forms
How levelling is actually used
The word is neutral in most contexts, although figurative uses concerning equality or the removal of social distinctions can be politically charged. British English normally uses the double-l spelling “levelling”; American English normally uses “leveling.”
Easily confused with levelling
Levelling and leveling are regional spelling variants of the same word; levelling is standard in British English, while leveling is standard in American English.