inequality

noun

in·equal·i·ty | \ ˌi-ni-ˈkwä-lə-tē

Definition of inequality

1 : the quality of being unequal or uneven: such as

a : social disparity

b : disparity of distribution or opportunity

c : lack of evenness

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 (such as <, >, or ≠ signifying respectively is less than, is greater than, or is not equal to)

Examples of inequality in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet, not only is there inequality between men's and women's teams, but there is also a gulf between the countries competing in France. — Aimee Lewis, CNN, "France storms to win in Women's World Cup opener against South Korea," 7 June 2019 Wealth inequality is mind-boggling and getting worse. — E.j. Roller, Vox, "We need to talk about how family money can make or break an arts career," 12 Nov. 2018 Income inequality is at unacceptable levels in Massachusetts and, at the same time, our transportation infrastructure is woefully inadequate and our schools are struggling to provide a quality education to every student. — Jason Lewis, BostonGlobe.com, "Should the Legislature revive the push for a millionaires tax?," 5 July 2018 The art world was one of the creative forces fueling the disruption, embracing the practice of female activism, trying to break the patriarchal hold on art, and tackling cultural inequality. — Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, "In Milan, A New Exhibition Celebrates Italian Feminist Artists of the 1970s," 5 Apr. 2019 Join the Movement On March 8—International Women’s Day—take a picture of yourself with your top reason for fighting global gender inequality, and post it on social media with the hashtag #OneReasonWhyImAGlobalFeminist. — James White; Fashion Editor: Cassie Anderson, Harper's BAZAAR, "Annie Lennox Talks Her Global Feminist Movement, and How You Can Join Her," 8 Mar. 2019 Growing inequality between global and local industries. — Shirin Ghaffary, Recode, "Inequality in Silicon Valley is getting worse: Wages are down for everyone but the top 10 percent," 13 Oct. 2018 In his opinion, U.S. District Court judge Paul J. McCormick stated that segregated schools inherently reproduced social inequality and were therefore in violation of the children’s constitutional rights. — Mariana Viera, Teen Vogue, "How Méndez vs. Westminster Helped End Segregated Schools for Latinx Children in 1940s California," 12 Oct. 2018 The first players to take a knee during the national anthem did so to bring attention to two issues — police misconduct and social inequality. — Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, "Bears Chairman George McCaskey: New NFL rule 'will return the anthem to what it should be'," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inequality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.