inequality

in·equal·i·ty

noun \ˌi-ni-ˈkwä-lə-tē\

Definition of INEQUALITY

1

: the quality of being unequal or uneven: as

a : lack of evenness

b : social disparity

c : disparity of distribution or opportunity

d : the condition of being variable : changeableness

2

: an instance of being unequal

3

: a formal statement of inequality between two quantities usually separated by a sign of inequality (as <, >, or ≠ signifying respectively is less than, is greater than, or is not equal to)

Examples of INEQUALITY

1. They discussed the problem of inequality between students.
2. He accused the company of inequality in its hiring practices.
3. He has proposed a new system designed to remove inequalities in health care.

Origin of INEQUALITY

Middle English inequalite, from Latin inaequalitat-, inaequalitas, from inaequalis unequal, from in- + aequalis equal

First Known Use: 15th century

Rhymes with INEQUALITY

coequality

inequality

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In mathematics, a statement of an order relationship—greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, or less than or equal to—between two numbers or algebraic expressions. Inequalities can be posed either as questions, much like equations, and solved by similar techniques, or as statements of fact in the form of theorems. For example, the triangle inequality states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle is greater than or equal to the length of the remaining side. Mathematical analysis relies on many such inequalities (e.g., the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality) in the proofs of its most important theorems.