: to exert force against an opposing and often bad or harmful force or influence
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebWhich puts the onus on immunity, or sheer luck on the variant side, to countervail, which are gambles as well. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2022 Government spending to countervail the pandemic in Mexico is among the lowest in the world, and that will most likely condemn millions to sustained and, in the eyes of numerous economists, unnecessary struggles. Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2020 The lack of enthusiasm among investors and executives suggests a countervailing force is at work.Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2019 So while Amazon is trusted, no countervailing force has the inclination or capacity to restrain it. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2019 For better or worse, tourism represents one of the few countervailing forces against this trend. Stephen Heyman, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2019 The teacher unions currently have no countervailing force. Karl Zinsmeister, National Review, 9 Oct. 2019 Meanwhile, there is no countervailing benefit to us with Turkey. Nr Editors, National Review, 24 Oct. 2019 So the hot-desking drive has been accompanied by a countervailing trend, in which this elite get better facilities.The Economist, 28 Sep. 2019 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English countrevailen, from Anglo-French cuntrevaloir, from cuntre- counter- + valoir to be worth, from Latin valēre — more at wield