balancing act
23
4.4
- noun
- /ˈbælənˌsɪŋ ækt/
- Informal
:
equilibrio
- Every parent faces a daily balancing act between work responsibilities and family needs.
- perform a balancing act
- a delicate balancing act
- a careful balancing act
Just like this balancing act of keeping everyone happy.
- Just like this balancing act of keeping everyone happy.
- So it has to involve a balancing act.
- So you know, that's there is like this like endless debates and impossible balancing act between defence and offence.
- Be sure when you step, step with care and great tact and remember that life's a great balancing act.
- It's an almost impossible balancing act, and generally it leaves us stuck, often afraid of trying anything.
- So this is this is the balancing act between epidemiology and randomized prospective experiments.
- So when they tell you you don't like me, or you don't like this family, or you resent me, it's the most difficult balancing act.
- It's a constant sort of balancing act between freedom and I guess, for lack of a better word, discipline.
- And the moral of the story is you're always playing this balancing act of short term make money today, focusing on long term other things as well.
- And I guess it's a, it's a balancing act of is preparing for the fire whilst going further into the fire.
- And, and, and so that that's the balancing act, right?
- From my point of view, it's a fine balancing act, right?
- So it's a tough act to is a hard balancing act.
- And right now that's kind of what they're dealing with is this balancing act.
- Let me throw something that might be more in the center of that linear balancing act.
Examples
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But yeah, it's kind of a tough balancing act just in general, but I think we did pretty well with it, yeah.
-
Democratic governance is a balancing act: participants have both rights and responsibilities.
Academic text (2003) -
Just like this balancing act of keeping everyone happy.
-
From my point of view, it's a fine balancing act, right?
-
It's an almost impossible balancing act, and generally it leaves us stuck, often afraid of trying anything.
-
Treating heart failure can be a careful balancing act at the best of times.
Academic text (2011) -
And it can be a difficult balancing act to create an effective blend of best practices and legal requirements.
Academic text (2007) -
India continues to execute a complex balancing act between Israel and other nations opposed to the Jewish State.
Academic text (2013) -
Yet most important in the long run will be Vietnam's delicate balancing act between China and America.
Academic text (2000) -
At the best of times, synchronizing force and diplomacy is a delicate balancing act, one that requires careful planning.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
3
4.9
A situation where a person manages several important tasks at once, often with difficulty
Antonyms
How Difficult
∞
3.1
- Informal
4
7.7
- Informal
23
4.4
44
3.7
215
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally describes 'an act of balancing' — combining 'balancing' (adjusting or managing multiple elements) with 'act' (an action or situation). This compositional meaning maps directly onto 'a situation requiring careful management of competing demands' and is a common, cross-linguistic metaphor, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely understand it.
Etymology
Balancing act comes from circus performers who stand on a tightrope or stack many objects and must keep everything steady. That image of keeping things in balance explains why we now use 'balancing act' for a situation where you must carefully manage different demands.