disparity

noun

dis·​par·​i·​ty di-ˈsper-ə-tē 

-ˈspa-rə-

plural disparities

: a noticeable and usually significant difference or dissimilarity

economic/income disparities

The fact is that America's colleges … have lately been exacerbating more than ameliorating the widening disparity of wealth and opportunity in American society.

—Andrew Delbanco

… in no other composer is the disparity between the man and his work so immense. Bach's life is considered stupefyingly ordinary, but his music is divine …

—Edward Rothstein

Did you know?

Disparity contains the Latin dis, meaning "apart" or "non-", so a disparity is a kind of "nonequality". The word is often used to describe a social or economic condition that's considered unfairly unequal: a racial disparity in hiring, a health disparity between the rich and the poor, an income disparity between men and women, and so on. Its adjective, disparate (accented on the first syllable), is often used to emphasize strong differences.

Synonyms

• contrast
• difference
• disagreement
• discrepancy
• disparateness
• dissimilarity
• dissimilitude
• distance
• distinction
• distinctiveness
• distinctness
• diverseness
• diversity
• otherness
• unlikeness

Examples of disparity in a Sentence

an enormous disparity in the lives of the rich and the poor in that country

Recent Examples on the Web

Detroit’s trademark physicality disrupted the Knicks, and a dramatic disparity in free-throw attempts only compounded the problem. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025

That disparity has sparked talk that the have-nots could gang up on the three richest clubs to lock out players when the current Basic Agreement between labor and management expires on Dec. 1, 2026. —Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

That disparity is tied for 10th among all teams since Bill Russell’s Celtics between 1961 and 1965, who posted five consecutive outlier seasons of elite defense. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 20 Apr. 2025

Wealth accumulation rates are even wider, and similar disparities exist for Hispanics. —Michael Higginbotham, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French disparité, borrowed from Late Latin disparitāt-, disparitās, from Latin dispar-, dispār "unequal, different" (from dis- dis- + par-, pār "matching, equal," of uncertain origin) + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disparity

• alterity
• asperity
• austerity
• celerity
• dexterity
• hilarity
• molarity
• planarity
• polarity
• posterity
• prosperity
• severity

Medical Definition

disparity

noun

dis·​par·​i·​ty dis-ˈpar-ət-ē 

plural disparities

: the state of being different or dissimilar (as in the sensory information received) see retinal disparity