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

Yannick Ruhimbasa for The Hechinger Report This story about refugee education was produced in partnership with The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. — Sarah Butrymowicz, Marie Claire, "Refugee Girls Want to Change the World. Will We Let Them?," 7 Jan. 2019 The Democrats in this category would answer that question with a resounding no, and pose very different ideas for solving the problems of the struggling middle class and those dealing with inequalities in U.S. society. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Who’s In and Who’s Out of the 2020 Presidential Race—So Far," 3 Jan. 2019 In a country as riven with economic inequality as this one, that can only be a good thing. — Kim Kelly, Teen Vogue, "What the "Working Class" Is, and How It's Politicized," 13 Dec. 2018 Were there any visions that had to do with inequality of gender or race? — Angela Chen, The Verge, "A historian explains how people of the past imagined the future," 20 July 2018 That is logical, of course, given fraud has little to do with inequality. — Jena Mcgregor, chicagotribune.com, "Just one sexual harassment claim can tarnish a company's image, study says," 3 July 2018 The Influencers, who ranked economic inequality and education as the most important issues facing Florida this campaign season, offered some some additional solutions. — Adam Wollner, miamiherald, "Florida Influencers: Teacher pay ranks as top education issue of 2018," 2 July 2018 Another impact is on the distribution of income, with inequality higher under Republican presidents and lower under Democratic ones. — Phillip Molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Does it matter what political party is in power for the economy?," 8 June 2018 At the same time, growing inequality and the strong grip of Ouattara’s northern supporters on the administration have eroded his popularity. — Pauline Bax, Bloomberg.com, "Ivory Coast’s President Suggests He May Run Again, Sparking Concern," 4 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.