evenness
/ˈiːvənnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈiːvənnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈēvən(n)ə̇s/ (ame, mw)
evenness — noun
1. a steady, untroubled state of mind in which feelings stay level and a person doe
a steady, untroubled state of mind in which feelings stay level and a person does not react with sudden anger, fear, or excitement.
Mira faced the angry customer with an evenness that surprised her younger colleagues.
the evenness of one's response under pressure
Even after the bad news, Tamás answered each question with the same evenness of voice.
collocation: evenness of voice / tone
The doctor admired the evenness of temper that helped Jiwoo recover slowly without panic.
Long years of meditation gave João an evenness that nothing at work seemed able to shake.
- composure
very close synonym; slightly more formal and outward-facing
- equanimity
C2/formal; stresses mental balance during difficulty
- calmness
more everyday; less suggestion of staying steady under stress
文法句型
the evenness of [someone's mood / temper / voice]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person's voice, temper, or whole manner. Distinguish from sense 2 (variation in numbers or rates) — sense 1 is always about feelings.
常見錯誤
2. the quality of staying at roughly the same amount, speed, or strength over time,
the quality of staying at roughly the same amount, speed, or strength over time, without sudden rises or drops.
Niran checked the oven to make sure the bread baked with an evenness of heat throughout.
collocation: evenness of heat / temperature
The factory measured the evenness of water flow to keep every bottle filled to the same line.
collocation: evenness of flow / supply
Eve was proud of the evenness of her running pace over the full ten-kilometre route.
Solar panels produced power with surprising evenness from morning until late afternoon.
- consistency
more common in everyday English; same core idea
- steadiness
stresses lack of shaking or sudden change
- regularity
stresses a repeating, predictable pattern
- fluctuation
noticeable up-and-down change
- variability
tendency to differ from one moment to the next
文法句型
the evenness of [a rate / speed / temperature / supply]
用法筆記
Typical subjects are physical or numerical quantities (heat, pace, supply, flow). Distinguish from sense 1, which describes a person's feelings, not a measurable quantity.
常見錯誤
3. the quality of giving the same chances, time, or treatment to every person, grou
the quality of giving the same chances, time, or treatment to every person, group, or place involved, without favouring any one of them.
The new judge was praised for the evenness with which she handled both rich and poor defendants.
the evenness with which [someone] treats [people]
Parents at the school questioned the evenness of how the head teacher shared sports funding between boys and girls.
the evenness of [how X is shared / distributed]
Darius designed the test to ensure the evenness of difficulty across every classroom in the district.
The committee thanked Tunde for the evenness he showed when choosing speakers from every department.
- fairness
more common everyday word; closely interchangeable
- impartiality
formal; stresses no personal preference
- equity
stronger sense of just outcomes for everyone
- favouritism
giving more to a preferred person or group
- bias
leaning toward one side without good reason
文法句型
the evenness of [a system / a decision / treatment]
用法筆記
Object is people, groups, or places treated alike. Distinguish from sense 4 — sense 3 is about fair distribution by a person or system, while sense 4 is about two sides being equally strong.
常見錯誤
4. the situation in which two people, teams, or sides are so close in skill or stre
the situation in which two people, teams, or sides are so close in skill or strength that neither one can easily defeat the other.
The evenness of the chess final kept Kevin and Nikhil playing late into the evening.
the evenness of [a contest / match]
Lien was excited by the evenness of the women's swimming heat, which ended in a photo finish.
Fans clapped at the evenness of the two boxers, who traded blows for the full twelve rounds.
What made the debate famous was the evenness of the two candidates' arguments from start to end.
文法句型
the evenness of [the contest / the match / the competition]
用法筆記
Always used of two (occasionally more) competing sides. Distinguish from sense 3, where a single person or system treats many people the same way; sense 4 is about the sides themselves being equal.
常見錯誤
5. the quality a surface has when it lies flat and feels smooth all over, with no b
the quality a surface has when it lies flat and feels smooth all over, with no bumps, dips, or rough patches.
Élise ran her hand over the evenness of the polished oak table she had built for her grandfather.
the evenness of a [surface / table / wall]
Cyclists praised the evenness of the new road that ran beside the river to the old harbour.
the evenness of a road / path
Heavy rollers pressed the cricket pitch to give it the evenness needed for a fair bounce.
The model thanked the make-up artist for the evenness of the foundation across her cheeks and forehead.
- smoothness
more common; focuses on touch
- flatness
stresses no hills, dips, or curves
- levelness
stresses being horizontal as well as flat
- roughness
many small bumps when touched
- unevenness
bigger lumps, dips, or warps
文法句型
the evenness of [a surface / a road / the skin]
用法筆記
Object is a physical surface, a coating on that surface, or a layer of paint, snow, or skin. Distinguish from sense 6 — sense 5 is about how flat a single surface feels, while sense 6 is about how regularly spaced separate items are.
常見錯誤
6. the quality a set of items shows when they are all the same size and the gaps be
the quality a set of items shows when they are all the same size and the gaps between them are the same width.
Visitors admired the evenness of the rows of tulips that lined the long path through the garden.
the evenness of rows / a pattern
The architect measured the evenness of the spacing between every window on the front of the new museum.
the evenness of the spacing between [items]
Inspectors checked the evenness of the bricks along the top of the harbour wall before opening the path.
The tiles met with such evenness that the visitors believed a machine had laid the whole kitchen floor.
- uniformity
stresses everything looking and measuring the same
- regularity
stresses a repeating, predictable pattern
- symmetry
stresses matching halves or mirrored layout
- irregularity
items of different sizes or uneven gaps
- asymmetry
two sides that do not mirror each other
文法句型
the evenness of [the spacing / the rows / the pattern]
用法筆記
Used of repeated items in a row, grid, or pattern. Distinguish from sense 5 — sense 6 is about the gaps and matching sizes between several items, not the smoothness of one surface.