SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
equinox
noun
Either of the two annual times when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, with day and night approximately equal in length.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Annual crossing of the celestial equator
No close substitute is listed for this sense. The expressions below help explain the idea.
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThese are explanatory phrases. A solstice is a different event, and day and night are only approximately equal at an equinox.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See equinox in use
The class marked the equinox on its calendar of seasonal changes.
An equinox panel paired the Sun's apparent crossing of the celestial equator with approximately equal day and night.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
- WordNet 3.0: selected lexical senses
- NASA, Basics of Space Flight: Reference Systems
- NOAA National Weather Service, Equinox
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license