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

The show was frank in its portrayal of, among other subjects, social isolation, economic disparity, the immigrant experience and unconventional families.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

If you don’t talk, this economic disparity will become bigger than both of you.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

The disparity between the two sides in these conditions is simply too large.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The scholars we want to honor include the researcher who finds that systemic racism is the primary driver of a given disparity and is dismissed by colleagues who don’t want to hear it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

White and Asian-American parents, meanwhile, give their children remarkably similar names; there is some disparity between white and Hispanic-American parents, but it is slim compared to the black-white naming gap.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

The UK government said it was working to address disparities while the Welsh government said challenges will be considered in its next national strategy.

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

Such differences in food production constituted a major ultimate cause of the disparities between Eurasian and Native American societies.

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

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Related Words

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

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