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
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.
"With the dangerous injunction poised to take effect for the first time on August 21, its stop-work mandate is even more flagrantly inequitable, if not impossible," he wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
“It risks becoming inequitable and inefficient,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
“Unhealthy air is inequitable and unaffordable,” Ruacho said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
This is inequitable, to say the least, and should be remedied.
From East of Suez Ceylon, India, China and Japan by Frederic Courtland Penfield
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.
