inequitable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inequitable
Explanation
If something is inequitable, it's not not fair or just. If one math class gets a pizza party and another gets an algebra quiz, that's inequitable. The word inequitable is a fancy way to say "unfair." It adds the prefix in-, or "not," to equitable, "fair and impartial." In law, inequitable conduct has to do with lying or withholding information during the process of suing someone. In more ordinary circumstances, if your brother complains that his half of the cookie you split is smaller, you can shrug and tell him, "Sometimes life is inequitable."
Vocabulary lists containing inequitable
6.2: A New Age of Revolutions: Mexico, Russia, and China (Sources 1–8)
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The Fight of Our Lives
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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.
I have considered setting a fixed total principal contribution for each grandson, but that would inevitably be inequitable due to differences in investment returns.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
As scholars like Amanda Frost, Kate Masur and Martha Jones demonstrate, abolitionists and free Black activists used the concept of citizenship by birthright to make claims of freedom and otherwise challenge inequitable and terrifying circumstances.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
“It risks becoming inequitable and inefficient,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
"That is inequitable and unjust and not compatible with the National Health Service," says Dr Nicky Thorp, a practising cancer doctor and vice president for clinical oncology at the RCR.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
"It does not seem inequitable, simply on the basis of numbers," Corina pointed out.
From A Matter of Honor A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
