iniquity

[ih-nik-wi-tee]

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noun, plural in·iq·ui·ties.

gross injustice or wickedness.
a violation of right or duty; wicked act; sin.

Origin of iniquity

1300–50; Middle English < Latin inīquitās unevenness, unfairness, equivalent to inīqu(us) uneven, unfair (in- in-³ + -īquus, combining form of aequus even, equal) + -itās -ity

Can be confusedinequity iniquity

Synonyms for iniquity

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1. evildoing, infamy, depravity, knavery.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for iniquity

infamy, immorality, abomination, baseness, crime, wrong, misdeed, injustice, wrongdoing, unfairness, offense, wickedness, unrighteousness, sinfulness, miscreancy

Examples from the Web for iniquity

Contemporary Examples of iniquity

He stormed legendary spots like Palladium and Tunnel, and turned them into strobe-lit dens of iniquity.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act
Caitlin Dickson
February 28, 2014
He read Borges and admired him, but the title of The Universal History of Iniquity gave him an immediate jolt.
Danilo Kis, the Stylish Historian of Infamy
Anthony Paletta
June 19, 2013
Residents of South Carolina divorce at a rate twice as high as for that den of iniquity, Washington, D.C.
Marianne Gingrich Interview Casts Doubts on Newt’s New Image
Margaret Carlson
January 20, 2012
The guerrillas also attacked the hotel, he says, because it was a den of iniquity in the eyes of the puritanical insurgency.
Exclusive: Taliban Boast About Kabul Hotel Attack
Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau
June 29, 2011
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.
The Passion of Mark Sanford
Kathleen Parker
June 27, 2009

Historical Examples of iniquity

The young Arab spoke to the boards as though they were partners in his iniquity.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
The cup of their iniquity was full; or they had not fallen so signally, thus.
Ridgeway
Scian Dubh
I felt now that I might as well follow the iniquity to the end.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
For my part, I call that downright countenancing of iniquity.
Hetty's Strange History
Anonymous
He now stood obstinately resolved to persevere in his iniquity.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for iniquity

iniquity

noun plural -ties

lack of justice or righteousness; wickedness; injustice
a wicked act; sin

Derived Formsiniquitous, adjectiveiniquitously, adverbiniquitousness, noun

Word Origin for iniquity

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for iniquity

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.