EVEN

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does even mean? 

• EVEN (noun)
  The noun EVEN has 1 sense:

1. the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

  Familiarity information: EVEN used as a noun is very rare.

• EVEN (adjective)
  The adjective EVEN has 6 senses:

1. divisible by two

2. equal in degree or extent or amount; or equally matched or balanced

3. being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)

4. symmetrically arranged

5. occurring at fixed intervals

6. of the score in a contest

  Familiarity information: EVEN used as an adjective is common.

• EVEN (verb)
  The verb EVEN has 3 senses:

1. make level or straight

2. become even or more even

3. make even or more even

  Familiarity information: EVEN used as a verb is uncommon.

• EVEN (adverb)
  The adverb EVEN has 4 senses:

1. used as an intensive especially to indicate something unexpected

2. in spite of; notwithstanding

3. to a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons

4. to the full extent

  Familiarity information: EVEN used as an adverb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EVEN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

eve; even; evening; eventide

Context example:

he enjoyed the evening light across the lake

Hypernyms ("even" is a kind of...):

day; daylight; daytime (the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside)

Meronyms (parts of "even"):

sundown; sunset (the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon)

crepuscle; crepuscule; dusk; evenfall; fall; gloam; gloaming; nightfall; twilight (the time of day immediately following sunset)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "even"):

guest night (an evening when members of a club or college can bring their friends as guests)

• EVEN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Divisible by two

Antonym:

odd (not divisible by two)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Equal in degree or extent or amount; or equally matched or balanced

Synonyms:

even; fifty-fifty

Context example:

an even fight

Similar:

equal (having the same quantity, value, or measure as another)

Derivation:

evenness (the quality of being balanced)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)

Context example:

the picture is even with the window

Similar:

flat; level; plane (having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another)

flat-bottom; flat-bottomed; flatbottom; flatbottomed (having a flat bottom)

flush (of a surface exactly even with an adjoining one, forming the same plane)

justified (having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins)

lap-jointed (jointed so as to produce a flush surface)

straight-grained (of timber; having fibers that run in parallel)

level (oriented at right angles to the plumb)

straight; true (accurately fitted; level)

Also:

smooth (having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities)

steady (not subject to change or variation especially in behavior)

Attribute:

evenness; invariability (a quality of uniformity and lack of variation)

Antonym:

uneven (not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture)

Derivation:

evenness (the quality of being balanced)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Symmetrically arranged

Synonyms:

even; regular

Context example:

a regular polygon

Similar:

symmetric; symmetrical (having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts)

Derivation:

evenness (a quality of uniformity and lack of variation)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Occurring at fixed intervals

Synonyms:

even; regular

Context example:

the even rhythm of his breathing

Similar:

steady (not subject to change or variation especially in behavior)

Derivation:

evenness (a quality of uniformity and lack of variation)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Of the score in a contest

Synonyms:

even; level; tied

Context example:

the score is tied

Similar:

equal (having the same quantity, value, or measure as another)

Derivation:

evenness (the quality of being balanced)

• EVEN (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make level or straight

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

even; even out; flush; level

Context example:

level the ground

Hypernyms (to "even" is one way to...):

change surface (undergo or cause to undergo a change in the surface)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "even"):

grade (level to the right gradient)

strickle; strike (smooth with a strickle)

strickle (level off with a strickle in a measuring container)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become even or more even

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

even; even out

Context example:

even out the surface

Hypernyms (to "even" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make even or more even

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

even; even out

Hypernyms (to "even" is one way to...):

regularise; regularize (make regular or more regular)

Cause:

even; even out (become even or more even)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Also:

even off; even out; even up (adjust for)

• EVEN (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Used as an intensive especially to indicate something unexpected

Context example:

I don't have even a dollar!

Sense 2

Meaning:

In spite of; notwithstanding

Context example:

even with his head start she caught up with him

Sense 3

Meaning:

To a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons

Synonyms:

even; still; yet

Context example:

a yet sadder tale

Sense 4

Meaning:

To the full extent

Context example:

loyal even unto death

 Context examples 

It was Mid-summer weather, and the evening was very pleasant.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

At the rear things were on even a more spacious scale than at the front.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Fatty acids that enter beta-oxidation with an even number of carbons are converted entirely to acetyl-CoA, with the last round producing two acetyl-CoA molecules from one four carbon fatty acid.

(Oxidation of Odd-Numbered Chain Fatty Acid Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

However, sometimes pain goes on for weeks, months or even years.

(Pain, NIH)

The effect of the drug could vary depending on the route even if the body site happens to be the same.

(Performed Substance Administration Route Of Administration Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Then he was very angry and sulky, and would not speak to her at all; but they watched the geese until it grew dark in the evening, and then drove them homewards.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases.

(Obesity, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Reactive changes (even atypia) can occur with inflammation and can include stratification with nuclear enlargement, nucleoli, and even cribriforming.

(Non-physiological Diffuse Hyperplasia of the Mouse Prostate Gland, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

Symptoms may be present even at rest.

(New York Heart Association Class III/IV, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms are present even at rest or minimal exertion.

(New York Heart Association Class IV, NCI Thesaurus)