see-saw
Balanced board ride
A see-saw is a playground device—a plank balanced on a central pivot, where children sit on opposite ends and alternately rise and fall.
The word extends to any back-and-forth movement or fluctuation: The election results see-sawed through the night.
As an adjective, it describes alternating motion or fortunes: a see-saw battle for control.
Lever's balance point
seats · park · recess · schoolyard · backyard · playset · outdoor · recreation
Suspended recreational seat
- rockingOscillating on curved base
- up-and-downAlternating between extremes
- tippingPaying beyond the bill
- pivotingRotating around fixed point
tilting · bobbing · wobble · alternation · fluctuation · undulation · oscillation · heave
State of balance
- counterbalanceOffsetting force or weight
- counterweightBalancing mass in machinery
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
equipoise · adjustment · calibration · compensation · imbalance · stability · proportion · parity
Alternating reciprocal motion
- fluctuationIrregular change over time
- give-and-takeMutual concession between parties
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
indecision · wavering · vacillation · swinging · alternating · shifting · uncertainty · ambivalence
fulcrum
Lever's balance point
handles · seats · park · recess · schoolyard · backyard · playset · outdoor · recreation · sandbox
swing
Suspended recreational seat
- rockingOscillating on curved base
- up-and-downAlternating between extremes
- tippingPaying beyond the bill
pivoting · tilting · bobbing · wobble · alternation · fluctuation · undulation · oscillation · heave · lurch
equilibrium
State of balance
- counterbalanceOffsetting force or weight
- counterweightBalancing mass in machinery
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
symmetry · equipoise · adjustment · calibration · compensation · imbalance · stability · proportion · parity
back-and-forth
Alternating reciprocal motion
- fluctuationIrregular change over time
- give-and-takeMutual concession between parties
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
instability · indecision · wavering · vacillation · swinging · alternating · shifting · uncertainty · ambivalence · tug-of-war
nostalgia
Longing for the past
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- playtimeRecreation period for children
- memoriesStored past experiences
youth · recess · friends · laughter · carefree · games · kindergarten · imagination · adventure · schoolyard
- playground equipmentmonkey bars, slide, teeter-totter, climbing frame, sandbox
- Reduplicativesbye-bye, mama, papa, haha, yo-yo
- outdoor toysfrisbee, kite, hula hoop, jump rope, bubbles
- playgroundswings, slide, monkey bars, slides, swing set
- oscillationoscillation, back and forth, back-and-forth, to and fro, ebb and flow
- recess gamestag, hopscotch, jump rope, hide and seek, duck duck goose
see-sawsteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
stable · constant · fixed · unchanging · static
see-sawswing
Suspended recreational seat
slide · merry-go-round · climbing frame · jungle gym · sandbox
see-sawstillness
Complete lack of motion
motionless · stationary · linear · unidirectional · straight line