equidistant

American  

[ee-kwi-dis-tuhnt, ek-wi-] / ˌi kwɪˈdɪs tənt, ˌɛk wɪ- /

adjective

1. equally distant.

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equidistant British  

/ ˌiːkwɪˈdɪstənt /

adjective

1. distant by equal amounts from two or more places

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equidistant Scientific  

/ ē′kwĭ-dĭs′tənt /

1. Equally distant.

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Usage

What does equidistant mean? If two things or places are equidistant from something, they are equally far away. Equidistant is another way of saying equally distant, meaning at the same distance from something. This doesn’t mean they are in the same location: two different cities might be equidistant to where you live—they might be both 50 miles away from your home. Often, equidistant refers to things that are approximately but not exactly the same distance apart. Example: The architectural plans require every single pole to be equidistant to the main pillar—they should all be exactly 27 feet away.

Other Word Forms

• equidistance noun
• equidistantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of equidistant

1560–70; < Middle French < Late Latin aequidistant- (stem of aequidistāns ). See equi-, distant

Explanation

Two objects are equidistant from a point if the distance between each object and that point are the same. If both you and your friend live a half mile from school, your houses are equidistant from school. Equidistant comes from the Late Latin aequidistantem, "equal distances," by way of the French équidistant. It's most commonly found in math textbooks and classes, describing the distance between a point and a set of objects. Cartographers (or mapmakers) also use the word to mean "a map projection that shows accurate scale between points." And sometimes it simply means "in the middle."

Example Sentences

“It was equidistant to my job as a professor of critical studies at USC, and Jay’s job as a senior product manager at Stamps.com near LAX,” Campbell says.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

It made a complete turn over the sea roughly equidistant from the eastern Chinese coast and Japan's southern island of Kyushu, landing in Shanghai shortly after 11am local time.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

Prosecutor Osvaldo Ossandón said: "There were approximately four outbreaks, equidistant from each other."

From BBC • May 25, 2024

In fairness, all of the West Coast’s major cities are nearly equidistant from Washington, D.C.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 2023

The statues are placed in different directions, equidistant from one another, and facing inward toward the center of the office.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer