inequality
inequality Lexical Profile
inequality Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A difference in size, degree, circumstances, or social and economic standing; the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
"Public policy researchers are studying the long-term effects of economic inequality on urban communities."
A mathematical statement indicating that two quantities or expressions are not equal, or that one is greater than or less than the other.
"Students learned how to solve the linear inequality and graph its solution set on a number line."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often distinguished from 'inequity': 'inequality' refers to an objective difference in size, quantity, or social standing, whereas 'inequity' specifically emphasizes unfairness, injustice, or bias.
• Rhymes for inequality
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French inequalité, from Latin inaequalitas ('unequalness, unevenness'), derived from in- ('not') and aequalis ('equal, level').