hard to equate

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hard to equate" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing the difficulty of comparing or relating two or more things. Example: "The differences in their backgrounds make it hard to equate their experiences."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

19 human-written examples

It's hard to equate the word blindness with skiing at 95mph.

The Guardian - Sport

It is hard to equate this kind of radical action with the slightly more removed work that Amnesty International does.

The New Yorker

That image of despair is hard to equate with the atomic energy he still brings to the court.

The Guardian - Sport

It is hard to equate the man sitting a few feet away from me with the global media mogul feared by political leaders throughout my adult lifetime.

The New York Times

American athletes don't get to be Cinderellas -- it's hard to equate growing up in the world's economic and military superpower with sitting around in the Olympic ashes.

The New York Times

It's hard to equate the messed-up drug addict of those years with the genial, if slightly tipsy man who sits opposite me.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

39 human-written examples

It gets harder to equate football fanaticism with leading a well-rounded life as you get older: you stop thinking that people who go to 20 away games a season are legends and start wondering what might be wrong with them.

Vice

Still, Dr. Abuelaish said he had worked hard not to equate a rude guard with all Israelis, just as he would not want Israelis to equate all Palestinians with suicide bombers.

The New York Times - Books

In a culture as oriented towards the value of material accumulation as a reflection of success, and one that sees a measure of success in terms of financial wealth, it's hard not to equate money with success and success with happiness.

Huffington Post

It's hard to avoid equating the trail with the people it evokes.

The New Yorker

So yes, let's critique the excessive math, and fight the tendency to equate hard math with quality.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "hard to equate" to express a difficulty in comparing or finding equivalence between two distinct concepts or entities. It suggests a significant difference or disparity that makes direct comparison challenging.

Common error

Avoid using "hard to equate" when you simply mean something is difficult to understand. The phrase is specifically about comparison, not general comprehension.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hard to equate" functions as a qualifier, expressing the difficulty in establishing a direct comparison or equivalence between two distinct entities or concepts. It is commonly used as Ludwig's AI indicates, to highlight significant disparities.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science

12%

Books

8%

Less common in

Sports

2%

Lifestyle

2%

Music

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "hard to equate" serves to express the difficulty in comparing or finding equivalence between two distinct concepts or entities. As Ludwig AI confirms, its grammatical structure is correct, and its usage is frequent, especially in journalistic and academic contexts. When employing this phrase, remember that it is about comparison, not simple comprehension. Close alternatives, like "difficult to reconcile" and "challenging to compare", offer nuanced ways to convey a similar sentiment, but the phrase "hard to equate" specifically points out the complexity of aligning or balancing disparate elements.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to reconcile

Focuses on resolving differences, implying a need for agreement or consistency.

challenging to compare

Emphasizes the complexity involved in making a comparison between two or more things.

hard to reconcile

Suggests a difficulty in bringing two things into agreement or harmony.

difficult to associate

Highlights the problem of linking or connecting two things in one's mind.

hard to connect

Implies a struggle to establish a relationship or link between two items.

difficult to link

Similar to "hard to connect", but suggests a more formal or logical disconnection.

challenging to relate

Focuses on the difficulty in finding a relationship or connection between two things.

tough to correlate

Indicates a difficulty in finding a statistical or direct relationship.

not easily comparable

States that two things cannot be easily judged against each other.

difficult to see the connection

Emphasizes the obscurity of the link between two elements.

FAQs

How to use "hard to equate" in a sentence?

Use "hard to equate" to express difficulty in comparing or establishing equivalence between two things. For example, "It's hard to equate the beauty of nature with the chaos of the city."

What can I say instead of "hard to equate"?

You can use alternatives like "difficult to reconcile", "challenging to compare", or "hard to reconcile" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "hard to equate" or "difficult to equate"?

Both "hard to equate" and "difficult to equate" are correct and convey the same meaning. The choice often depends on personal preference or the desired tone.

What's the difference between "hard to equate" and "difficult to associate"?

"Hard to equate" specifically addresses the difficulty in finding an equivalence between two things. "Difficult to associate" refers to the challenge in linking or connecting two things in one's mind. Equating implies a direct comparison of value or meaning, while associating focuses on linking related concepts.