inequity
Americannoun
plural
inequities-
lack of equity; unfairness; favoritism or bias.
-
an unfair circumstance or proceeding.
noun
-
lack of equity; injustice; unfairness
-
an unjust or unfair act, sentence, etc
Etymology
Origin of inequity
Compare meaning
How does inequity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The noun inequity describes a situation that’s not fair. If you feel, for example, that your brother gets to do whatever he wants while you must follow the rules to the letter, you might rage against inequity. The prefix in- in inequity means “not” or “opposite of.” Equity, means "justice or fairness." Put it together and you get inequity: something that’s unfair or unjust. The word can be used to describe a wide range of unfair situations, such as an inequity in a school's buying new equipment for the football team while the field hockey team continues to wear uniforms from 1981.
Vocabulary lists containing inequity
President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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The First Democratic Debate: Candidates' Most Relevant Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The governor said he wants the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law to now focus on current laws and regulations “that create or perpetuate inequities.”
From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2020
Greatest problem facing D.C. schools : Inequity in education.
From Washington Post • Dec. 2, 2018
Inequity is visible in America but it often seems like just a way of life, the way we are.
From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2017
Which is why “Black Lives Matter: Eliminating Racial Inequity in the Criminal Justice System,” a new report from the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice nonprofit, is so important.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2015
He writes and never sees that, though every amelioration be true, yet there is here old Inequity.
From Pioneers of the Old South: a chronicle of English colonial beginnings by Johnston, Mary
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
