disparity

American  

[dih-spar-i-tee] / dɪˈspær ɪ ti /

noun

• disparities
  plural

1. lack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference.

   a disparity in age; disparity in rank.

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disparity British  

/ dɪˈspærɪtɪ /

noun

1. inequality or difference, as in age, rank, wages, etc

2. dissimilarity

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Synonym Usage

See difference.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondisparity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disparities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of disparity

First recorded in 1545–55; from Middle French desparite, from Late Latin disparitās; equivalent to dis- ¹ + parity ¹

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Explanation

If there is a disparity between how great you think you are at tennis and how you actually play, you are probably surprised by how often you lose. Disparity is the condition of being unequal, and a disparity is a noticeable difference. Disparity usually refers to a difference that is unfair: economic disparities exist among ethnic groups, there is a disparity between what men and women earn in the same job. This noun derives from Latin dispar "unequal." The opposite of disparity is parity, the condition of being equal or the same.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disparity disparities

Prospects of a sequel crumbled in 2019 when the Hollywood Reporter broke news that Lim left the sequel over pay disparity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

None of our friends know about the disparity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

By 2019, that disparity had fallen to less than 3 to 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Fitzpatrick said research showed children from working class backgrounds tended to be "educationally further ahead" than their peers from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and argued the education minister's plans would widen this disparity.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Other studies show different numbers, but the same trend—a big disparity that opened over their lifetimes.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

The UK government said they were "working to address disparities in provision" and have pledged more than £1bn in dedicated funding over the next three years to improve support to rural victims.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Today the largest resource disparities are mainly across districts and states, not within districts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Our article shows that racial health disparities come from both differences in exposure to environmental stressors and different underlying vulnerability stemming from, for instance, genetics or access to healthcare.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

The California attorney general in February opened a civil rights investigation into potential disparities in the fire response, looking particularly at delays in evacuation alerts and resource allocation between west and east Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

While the rest of the country has fitfully cut back welfare and continues to debate class disparities and the barriers to mobility, Whitiker has quietly traversed several classes in a single lifetime.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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Related Words

• difference
• discrepancy
• distinction
• divergence
• gap
• imbalance
• inequality
• variation

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