differences in meaning?

[Ana Laura]

Hi!,

I have 4 words:

-equivalent
-proportional
-alike
-compatible

I know they have similar meanings but I would like to know if in this sentence I can replace the word "equivalent" with the others I mentioned before:

"I find that 20 minutes' meditation is equivalent to a night's sleep and that keeps me going"

if I can't, I would like to know why.

Thank you for your help.

[Johan[@CLT]]

Hi Ana Laura,

I should go for "compatible". Because you say that 20 min of meditation is equal to a night's sleep. You don't litterly say that they are equal to each other. You say that when you compare 20 minutes of meditation it has the same result as a one night's sleep. That's why I think "compatible" is a correct alternative.

Kind regards

[MrPedantic]

Hello Ana Laura

Unfortunately those words don't work, in your context. You want to compare the effect of X with the effect of Y. But:

1. "proportional to" doesn't express a comparison of effects.
2. "alike to" is unidiomatic.
3. "compatible with" doesn't present a comparison: it suggests that meditation won't prevent a good night's sleep.

MrP