inequality

noun

Definition of inequalitynext
as in difference
a state or condition in which different things do not occur in equal amounts They discussed the problem of inequality between students. He accused the company of inequality in its hiring practices.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inequality And the global threats to health risk amplifying existing inequalities, with the greatest burden falling on the most vulnerable communities. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 The China shock accelerated inequality and contributed to the political polarization that many democracies are still living with today. — Jared Franz, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Capital & Main is an independent, nonprofit investigative news publication that reports on inequality, climate change and other issues. — Jennifer Oldham, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026 Some of it is inequality and having to work too many jobs to make a living, much less have an argument. — Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inequality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inequality
  1. difference
  2. diversity
  3. distance
  4. imbalance
  5. distinctiveness
  6. distinctness
  7. divergence
  8. disparity
Noun
  • The only difference between us sitting here and someone on death row is our circumstances.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Having produced one such number per participant, the standard approach then pools all of them into a group average, on the assumption that individual differences are noise that will be canceled out.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of difference
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the university faced scrutiny from the federal government on its research funding and diversity initiatives.
    — Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This is despite the City of London’s socio-economic diversity taskforce setting a target for half of senior leaders to come from working-class or non-professional backgrounds by 2030.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of diversity
Noun
  • Jordan Glass captured the destruction from a distance before posting the clips to his Instagram account.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • To fix this, researchers used Bayesian hierarchical distance sampling.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of distance
Noun
  • The top trade envoys for China and the European Union agreed Friday on a broad initial deal following two days of talks aimed at calming escalating tensions over trade imbalances, the EU trade commissioner said.
    — Sam McNeil, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The top trade envoys for China and the European Union were wrapping up two days of talks Friday aimed at calming escalating tensions over growing imbalances between the two giant economies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of imbalance
Noun
  • Aside from its visual distinctiveness, red diesel shares an identical chemical composition with conventional highway diesel.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Its strength lies in its capacity to evolve and find new ways to engage with the world around it, generation after generation, while retaining its distinctiveness.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of distinctiveness
Noun
  • How can the sense of an absolute union of all matter be reconciled with the endless multiplicity and distinctness of it?
    — Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • However, a few hours with Air Riders reveals the nuance and depth of its gameplay, the distinctness of this flavor of racing game and its sensory, chaotic, and strategic appeal.
    — Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of distinctness
Noun
  • The divergence comes as investors grapple with a more hawkish Federal Reserve, persistent inflation and a sharp rise in Treasury yields — fueling concerns that higher borrowing costs could weigh on lending and economic growth.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This divergence reflects both short-term irregularities in how fast Earth rotates, and a very gradual, long-term slowdown of Earth’s rotation, caused primarily by the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans.
    — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of divergence
Noun
  • But the disparity also illustrates why neither ESPN nor the NFL should be particularly concerned about Monday's unusually poor number.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In the central bank's Survey of Consumer Finances, researchers found that while wealth disparities narrowed somewhat, the ability to meet debt payments deteriorated significantly.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of disparity

Browse Nearby Words

ineptness
inequality
inequitable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inequality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inequality. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on inequality

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inequality

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All