disparity

noun

dis·​par·​i·​ty di-ˈsper-ə-tē How to pronounce disparity (audio)
-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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is the largest spending disparity the Chanticleers have faced in the tournament thus far. Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 21 June 2025 Please, prospective parents out there, let the vast disparity of potential inspirations serve as warning enough to choose a different moniker. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 19 June 2025 Wealth and power are tightly intertwined, and the median white household has a net worth 10 times the median Black household, a disparity that adds up to more than $10 trillion. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025 Unique aspects of India's population problem include the fact that there is a disparity between states, meaning population shifts are not the same across the country, with population declining in some states and not others. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for disparity

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of disparity was in 1571

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Cite this Entry

“Disparity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparity. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

Medical Definition

disparity

noun
dis·​par·​i·​ty dis-ˈpar-ət-ē How to pronounce disparity (audio)
plural disparities
: the state of being different or dissimilar (as in the sensory information received) see retinal disparity

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