Standard Lemma guide

inequality

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: ĭnĭkwŏl'ĭtē
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɒl.ɪ.ti/
  • London: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: ĭn-ĭʹkwŏ-lĭ-tē
  • US: /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/
  • US: [ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ɾi]
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N IH0 K W AA1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IH2 N AH0 K W AA1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: IH1 N IY0 K W AA1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Absence of equality.

A condition or state (of social, cultural, or legal matters) that is not equal; especially, such a condition that is thereby also unfair.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The inequality in living standards led to a civil war as the have-nots rebelled.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unequality, unequalness, inequalness

Antonyms: equality, equalness

2

noun

Meaning 2

Absence of equality.

A statement that of two quantities one is specifically less than (or greater than) another. Symbol: < or ≤ or > or ≥ or ne , as appropriate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • The inequality x is less than y, together with that ylt;z, allows us to deduce the inequality xlt;z.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unequality, unequalness, inequalness, inequation

Antonyms: equality, equalness

3

noun

Meaning 3

Absence of equality.

Unevenness, irregularity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unequality, unequalness, inequalness

Antonyms: equality, equalness, evenness, regularity, smoothness

4

noun

Meaning 4

lack of equality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the growing inequality between rich and poor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: equality

Broader terms: difference

Narrower terms: nonequivalence, disparity, unevenness

History

Etymology

From Middle English inequalite, from Old French inequalité, from Medieval Latin inaequālitās, from Latin inaequālis (“unequal”), from in- (“not”) + aequālis (“equal”). Morphologically inequal + -ity and in- + equality.

Across languages

Translations

79 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَدَم مُسَاوَاة (ʕadam musāwāh) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Asturian: desigualdá — unfair, not equal, state
  • Azerbaijani: qeyri-bərabərlik — unfair, not equal, state
  • Azerbaijani: bərabərsizlik — unfair, not equal, state
  • Belarusian: няро́ўнасць (njarównascʹ) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Bulgarian: нера́венство (nerávenstvo) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Catalan: desigualtat — unfair, not equal, state
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不平等 (bùpíngděng) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Czech: nerovnost — unfair, not equal, state
  • Danish: ulighed — unfair, not equal, state
  • Dutch: ongelijkheid — unfair, not equal, state
  • Esperanto: malegaleco — unfair, not equal, state
  • Finnish: epätasa-arvo — unfair, not equal, state
  • Finnish: eriarvoisuus — unfair, not equal, state
  • French: inégalité — unfair, not equal, state
  • Galician: desigualdade — unfair, not equal, state
  • Georgian: უთანასწორობა (utanasc̣oroba) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Georgian: უთანაბრობა (utanabroba) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Georgian: არათანასწორობა (aratanasc̣oroba) — unfair, not equal, state
  • German: Ungleichheit — unfair, not equal, state
  • Greek: ανισότητα (anisótita) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Ancient Greek: ἀνισότης (anisótēs) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Hindi: असमानता (asamāntā) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Indonesian: ketimpangan — unfair, not equal, state
  • Japanese: 不平等 (fubyōdō) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Korean: 불평등 (bulpyeongdeung) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Northern Kurdish: newekhevî — unfair, not equal, state
  • Northern Kurdish: neyeksanî — unfair, not equal, state
  • Latin: inīquitās — unfair, not equal, state
  • Macedonian: нееднаквост (neednakvost) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Malay: ketidaksamaan — unfair, not equal, state
  • Malay: ketaksamaan — unfair, not equal, state
  • Occitan: inegalitat — unfair, not equal, state
  • Persian: نابرابری (nâbarâbari) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Polish: nierówność — unfair, not equal, state
  • Portuguese: desigualdade — unfair, not equal, state
  • Romanian: inegalitate — unfair, not equal, state
  • Russian: нера́венство (nerávenstvo) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Serbo-Croatian: неједна́ко̄ст — unfair, not equal, state
  • Serbo-Croatian: nejednákōst — unfair, not equal, state
  • Slovak: nerovnosť — unfair, not equal, state
  • Slovene: neenakost — unfair, not equal, state
  • Spanish: desigualdad — unfair, not equal, state
  • Swedish: ojämlikhet — unfair, not equal, state
  • Ukrainian: нері́вність (nerívnistʹ) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Urdu: غیر یکسانیت (ġer eksānet) — unfair, not equal, state
  • Urdu: نابرابری — unfair, not equal, state
  • Welsh: anghydraddoldeb — unfair, not equal, state
  • Azerbaijani: bərabərsizlik — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Belarusian: няро́ўнасць (njarównascʹ) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Bulgarian: нера́венство (nerávenstvo) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Catalan: desigualtat — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不等式 (bùděngshì) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Czech: nerovnice — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Danish: ulighed — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Dutch: ongelijkheid — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Finnish: epäyhtälö — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • French: inéquation — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Georgian: უტოლობა (uṭoloba) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • German: Ungleichung — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Greek: ανισότητα (anisótita) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Hindi: असमिका (asmikā) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Icelandic: ójafna — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Indonesian: pertidaksamaan — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Italian: disequazione f disuguaglianza — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Japanese: 不等式 (futōshiki) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Kazakh: теңсіздік (teñsızdık) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Korean: 부등식 (budeungsik) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Malay: ketaksamaan — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Polish: nierówność — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Portuguese: inequação — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Portuguese: desigualdade — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Romanian: inecuație — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Russian: нера́венство (nerávenstvo) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Spanish: inecuación — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Spanish: desigualdad — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Swedish: olikhet — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Ukrainian: нері́вність (nerívnistʹ) — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
  • Vietnamese: bất đẳng thức — statement that one quantity is less (or greater) than another
Real reading context

inequality in complete knowledge articles