unfair

adjective

un·​fair ˌən-ˈfer 

1

a

: marked by injustice, partiality, or deception : unjust

an unfair trial

taking unfair advantage

You're being a little unfair to single them out.

b

: not representative

cited an unfair example

c

: disproportionate

got an unfair share

2

: not equitable in business dealings

unfair competition

unfair labor practices

unfairness noun

Synonyms of unfair

• foul
• illegal
• nasty

Examples of unfair in a Sentence

It's unfair for them to be allowed to leave early if we can't.

It seems unfair to single her out for criticism.

The company has been accused of unfair labor practices.

Recent Examples on the Web

Even to Dante, the rules seem confusingly unfair. —Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Workers have filed more than 1,000 unfair labor practice charges, including more than 125 since January. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 23 Nov. 2025

Ty [Abbott] pairing and the Beau-Jake pairing were a little unfair. —Khobi Price, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025

Regulations need to protect people from unfair or unclear AI decisions without creating such heavy burdens that businesses hesitate to build or deploy new tools. —Stefani Langehennig, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for unfair

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

unfair

adjective

un·​fair ˌən-ˈfa(ə)r 

ˈən-, 

-ˈfe(ə)r

1

: not fair, honest, or just : unjust, dishonest

an unfair trial

2

: not fair in doing business

unfair to workers

unfairly adverb

unfairness noun