inequity
Americannoun
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lack of equity; unfairness; favoritism or bias.
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an unfair circumstance or proceeding.
noun
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lack of equity; injustice; unfairness
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an unjust or unfair act, sentence, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
But the more open you are with each other, the more you can, in theory, combat inequity.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
That addressed a genuine inequity in coverage, but made it so clinicians are paid more when they diagnose more cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
The inequity sparked a firestorm on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Even when elected leaders decry inequity, they typically do more to mystify than clarify what has caused it.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025
Corporal Whitcomb, an atheist, was a disgruntled subordinate who felt he could do the chaplain’s job much better than the chaplain was doing it and viewed himself, therefore, as an underprivileged victim of social inequity.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
The impact of higher gas prices fell hardest on lower-income Americans, threatening to further exacerbate inequities among income groups.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
As a whole, these oldest baby boomers are better educated and wealthier than previous generations—although huge inequities exist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
“Yet, their challenges are compounded by under-resourced systems, evolving administrative priorities, and persistent inequities in access and support, especially for students from disproportionately impacted backgrounds.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
A genuine recommitment to the rule of law must confront these systemic inequities — not merely the excesses of a single administration.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026
Most statistics of this type are shockingly misleading, although, once again, I don’t mean to deny that there are a lot of economic inequities in this country.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
