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

Etymology

Origin of disparity

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

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

I don’t think you are doomed, but nor do I have tips or tricks — except to say that if you don’t talk about it, this economic disparity will become bigger than both of you.

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

Eastman says the "cost of living" and the "disparity" between the local housing allowance and rents, which in Harlow are "really expensive".

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The disparity reflects unequal access to diagnosis and treatment.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

The sole Native Americans able to resist European conquest for many centuries were those tribes that reduced the military disparity by acquiring and mastering both horses and guns.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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

And she said the racial disparities in SAT results are seen in other standardized measures of academic knowledge and reflect of the nation’s inequalities in K-12 education rather than a specific problem with the SAT.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

A new report from Microsoft shows that global AI usage rose to 18.8% of working-age people in the second quarter, albeit with some notable disparities by country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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

Those huge disparities must have potent causes that one might think would be obvious.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

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