iniquity
[ih-nik-wi-tee]
- gross injustice or wickedness.
- a violation of right or duty; wicked act; sin.
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Origin of iniquity
Synonyms
See more synonyms for iniquity on Thesaurus.com1. evildoing, infamy, depravity, knavery.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for iniquity
Contemporary Examples
He stormed legendary spots like Palladium and Tunnel, and turned them into strobe-lit dens of iniquity.
He read Borges and admired him, but the title of The Universal History of Iniquity gave him an immediate jolt.
Residents of South Carolina divorce at a rate twice as high as for that den of iniquity, Washington, D.C.
The guerrillas also attacked the hotel, he says, because it was a den of iniquity in the eyes of the puritanical insurgency.
A cynic might question the use of religion as a landing pad when one is tumbling from a place of power into the abyss of iniquity.
Historical Examples
The young Arab spoke to the boards as though they were partners in his iniquity.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
The cup of their iniquity was full; or they had not fallen so signally, thus.
RidgewayScian Dubh
I felt now that I might as well follow the iniquity to the end.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
For my part, I call that downright countenancing of iniquity.
Hetty's Strange HistoryAnonymous
He now stood obstinately resolved to persevere in his iniquity.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
iniquity
- lack of justice or righteousness; wickedness; injustice
- a wicked act; sin
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin inīquitās, from inīquus unfair, from in- 1 + aequus even, level; see equal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for iniquity
n.
c.1300, "hostility, malevolence; a hostile action," from Old French iniquité "wickedness, unfavorable situation," from Latin iniquitatem (nominative iniquitas) "unequalness, unevenness, injustice," noun of quality from iniquus "unjust, unequal; slanting, steep," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + aequus "just, equal" (see equal). For vowel change, see acquisition. Meaning "evil, wickedness" is from late 14c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper