equally

Equally is an adverb that indicates two or more things share a property to the same extent, or that an action is performed in the same way for all items. It derives from the adjective equal, which comes from Latin aequalis through Old French and Middle English. In use, equally signals parity: for example, “The prizes were divided equally,” “Two theories are equally plausible,” or “They were treated equally by the judge.”

In mathematics and probability, equally often describes uniformity or symmetry. Phrases such as “equally likely,” “divided equally,” and “equally spaced” denote that outcomes or quantities have the same measure or probability. Equally likely means each outcome has the same probability, a concept central to fairness and random processes. Equally spaced refers to objects positioned at identical intervals.

Grammatically, equal is an adjective and equally is its adverbial form, used to modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. For example, “The teams are equally matched” or “It is equally important to consider both factors.” In formal writing, the construction “equally as” is often discouraged; the preferred pattern is either “as … as” or simply “equally” depending on the context.

The term is widely used in everyday language, in law and policy discussions about fairness, and in technical fields to describe uniform distribution, division, or comparison.