uneven

[uhn-ee-vuhn]

adjective

1. not level or flat; rough; rugged.

   The wheels bumped and jolted over the uneven surface.

2. irregular; varying; not uniform.

   The book is uneven in quality.

3. not equitable or fair; one-sided.

   an uneven contest.

   Synonyms: lopsided, unequal, unfair

4. not equally balanced; not symmetrical or parallel.

5. (of a number) odd; not divisible into two equal integers.

   The numerals 3, 5, and 7 are uneven.

uneven

/ ʌnˈiːvən /

adjective

1. (of a surface, etc) not level or flat

2. spasmodic or variable

3. not parallel, straight, or horizontal

4. not fairly matched

   an uneven race

5. archaic,  not equal

6. obsolete,  unjust

Other Word Forms

• unevenly adverb
• unevenness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uneven¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English unefen; cognate with German uneben. See un- ¹, even ¹

Example Sentences

What’s left is a spectral scene, ghosted by the limitations of old black-and-white photographic technology and further heightened by the uneven glow generated by the camera’s flashbulb.

From Los Angeles Times

India's patchwork of risks is part of a larger truth: cancer is at once the most universal and the most uneven of diseases.

From BBC

But those areas are already off-limits for protests, although there have been complaints of uneven enforcement of rules.

From Los Angeles Times

Yes, progress was undeniably uneven and engendered a surprising amount of pushback, but there was no going back.

From Salon

His voice was uneven and he wouldn’t say more than a few words at a time, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bumpy 
• irregular 
• odd 
• patchy 
• rough 
• spotty 
• unbalanced 
• unequal 
• unsteady