unfairly

adverb

Definition of unfairlynext
as in cruelly

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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 unfairly Some conservatives have argued that they've been unfairly targeted by financial institutions, although the OCC found that some banks had also refused to do business with Democratic-leaning organizations. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Mangione’s lawyers repeatedly raised concerns about the dual prosecutions, arguing their client was being unfairly tried twice for the same crime. — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026 Past lending scrutiny for Wells Fargo While the new federal probe looks into whether minority buyers received preferential terms, earlier reports this year focused on claims that minority applicants were unfairly turned away. — Chase Jordan october 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026 You were quite unfairly attacked, in very personal terms, by some activists at the end of this. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfairly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfairly
  1. cruelly
  2. shabbily
  3. viciously
  4. heartlessly
  5. rudely
Adverb
  • No matter how cruelly politicians and pundits discuss them, and no matter how desensitized the American people become by this rhetoric, immigrant kids are still kids.
    — Hannah Harshe, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
  • And, if Barisone was psychotically deluded, how was the jury meant to understand the defense’s central framing, which was that Kanarek had cruelly tried to harm Barisone?
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruelly
Adverb
  • Her fury at Helios employees being treated so shabbily is matched only by her disbelief at Ger and his crew’s recklessness in allowing the consoles monitoring and controlling all of Happy Valley’s life-support systems and communications with the Titan mission unstaffed.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Definition of shabbily
Adverb
  • He had been viciously attacked seemingly while asleep, struck multiple times in the face with a sharp, ax-like instrument, The Herald News reported.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the attacks were viciously personal, like about how a deceased family member deserved to die.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of viciously
Adverb
  • The economist was infamous in London’s philosophical circles for arguing fervently—and, many thought, heartlessly—against poor relief.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of heartlessly
Adverb
  • So maybe the sting has not dissipated, not after the Brewers so rudely swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Kelly Clarkson is feuding with a magic and games store in Brooklyn, New York, claiming she was treated rudely after inquiring about a product, according to social media posts shared over the weekend.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of rudely

Browse Nearby Words

unfair
unfairly
unfairness
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Cite this Entry

“Unfairly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfairly. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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