inequality

noun

in·​equal·​i·​ty ˌi-ni-ˈkwä-lə-tē 

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

As long as posture surveillance is believed prevent low back pain, many posture and back health wellness programs are liable to create even greater health inequalities rather than mitigate them. —Beth Linker, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

Just like today, where every workplace in the world is a great place to work for some, but creates more inequity and income inequality for others. —Michael C. Bush, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

The girls, who have a stricter dress code and other more rigid requirements, begin to chafe at the inequality. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024

Rousseau used his state of nature to attack the inequality and artificiality of 18th-century European society. —William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024

Their goals: dismantle the neoliberal policies of the Seventies that fostered staggering income inequality, abandon the archaic Pinochet-era constitution, and draft a new magna carta to codify institutional gender parity and land rights for the country’s indigenous communities. —Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024

That’s a multimillionaire’s solution to income inequality? —Chris Richards, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

People are voting with their feet, and this is the hollowing out of the middle class that puts us on track to maintain our high Gini coefficient — income inequality. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024

All factors, which have led to substantial economic, educational, and health inequalities, particularly affecting African Americans and their enslaved ancestors. —Britney Porter, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inequality

• triangle inequality

Kids Definition

inequality

noun

in·​equal·​i·​ty ˌin-i-ˈkwäl-ət-ē 

plural inequalities

1

: the quality of being unequal

2

: an instance of being unequal (as an irregularity in a surface)

3

: a statement in mathematics or logic that two quantities usually separated by a special sign (as <, >, or ≠ respectively meaning "is less than," "is greater than," or "is not equal to") are not equal