inequality

noun

in·​equal·​i·​ty ˌi-ni-ˈkwä-lə-tē 

1

: the quality of being unequal or uneven: such as

a

: social disparity

b

: disparity of distribution or opportunity

c

: lack of evenness

d

: the condition of being variable : changeableness

2

: an instance of being unequal

3

: a formal statement of inequality between two quantities usually separated by a sign of inequality (such as <, >, or ≠ signifying respectively is less than, is greater than, or is not equal to)

Examples of inequality in a Sentence

They discussed the problem of inequality between students.

He accused the company of inequality in its hiring practices.

He has proposed a new system designed to remove inequalities in health care.

Recent Examples on the Web

As well as job displacement, AI risks deepening wealth inequality—concentrating the gains among those who own or are able to leverage its abilities, while throwing the remainder into the same basket of the formerly employable unemployed. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Perhaps most disturbingly, this technology threatens to exacerbate existing inequalities. —Raghu Para, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

That dynamic, combined with the concentration of economic gains in AI and among the wealthy, risks deepening inequality, and complicates the Fed’s attempt to balance its inflation and employment mandates. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025

The hunger in Silicon Valley, one of the wealthiest places on the planet and an economic powerhouse, underscores the region’s deep and rising inequality. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English inequalite, from Latin inaequalitat-, inaequalitas, from inaequalis unequal, from in- + aequalis equal

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inequality

• triangle inequality

Rhymes for inequality

• causality
• equality
• frivolity
• sodality
• jollity
• polity
• quality

Kids Definition

inequality

noun

in·​equal·​i·​ty ˌin-i-ˈkwäl-ət-ē 

plural inequalities

1

: the quality of being unequal

2

: an instance of being unequal (as an irregularity in a surface)

3

: a statement in mathematics or logic that two quantities usually separated by a special sign (as <, >, or ≠ respectively meaning "is less than," "is greater than," or "is not equal to") are not equal