Standard Lemma guide

uneven

adj · verb · 11 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.

  • /ʌnˈivən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːvən
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N IY1 V AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a surface, not even; covered with raised spots, pits and grooves.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jagged

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not level or smooth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not uniform.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Varying in quality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Odd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: even

6

verb

Meaning 6

To make uneven.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an uneven color
  • uneven ground
  • uneven margins
  • wood with an uneven grain

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: even

8

adjective

Meaning 8

not divisible by two

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: odd

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

lacking consistency

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the golfer hit the ball well but his putting was spotty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spotty, scratchy

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

(of a contest or contestants) not fairly matched as opponents

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • vaudeville...waged an uneven battle against the church

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mismatched

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

variable and recurring at irregular intervals

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an uneven gait
  • uneven spacing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English uneven, from Old English unefen (“unequal, unlike, dissimilar, diverse, irregular”), equivalent to un- + even. Cognate with Dutch oneven (“unequal, uneven, odd”), German uneben (“uneven, rough, irregular, bumpy”).

Across languages

Translations

100 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: нечетен (nečeten) — (about surface) not even
  • Bulgarian: тек (tek) — (about surface) not even
  • Catalan: desigual — (about surface) not even
  • Catalan: escabrós — (about surface) not even
  • Czech: nerovný — (about surface) not even
  • Danish: ujævn — (about surface) not even
  • Dutch: oneven — (about surface) not even
  • Esperanto: malebena — (about surface) not even
  • Finnish: pariton — (about surface) not even
  • Georgian: არათანაბარი (aratanabari) — (about surface) not even
  • Georgian: უთანაბრო (utanabro) — (about surface) not even
  • Georgian: არასწორი (arasc̣ori) — (about surface) not even
  • Georgian: უსწორმასწორო (usc̣ormasc̣oro) — (about surface) not even
  • Georgian: უთანასწორო (utanasc̣oro) — (about surface) not even
  • German: uneben — (about surface) not even
  • Ancient Greek: ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos) — (about surface) not even
  • Ancient Greek: ἄνισος (ánisos) — (about surface) not even
  • Irish: anacair — (about surface) not even
  • Irish: míchothrom — (about surface) not even
  • Latin: inīquus — (about surface) not even
  • Latin: impār — (about surface) not even
  • Māori: pāhikahika — (about surface) not even
  • Māori: moana — (about surface) not even
  • Māori: karawhiti — (about surface) not even
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ujevn — (about surface) not even
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ujamn — (about surface) not even
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kupert — (about surface) not even
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ujamn — (about surface) not even
  • Polish: nierówny — (about surface) not even
  • Portuguese: desigual — (about surface) not even
  • Russian: неро́вный (neróvnyj) — (about surface) not even
  • Russian: нечётный (nečótnyj) — (about surface) not even
  • Spanish: desigual — (about surface) not even
  • Spanish: escabroso — (about surface) not even
  • Swedish: ojämn — (about surface) not even
  • Belarusian: няро́ўны (njarówny) — not level or smooth
  • Bulgarian: неравен (neraven) — not level or smooth
  • Bulgarian: грапав (grapav) — not level or smooth
  • Catalan: rugós — not level or smooth
  • Catalan: escabrós — not level or smooth
  • Czech: nerovnoměrný — not level or smooth
  • Danish: ujævn — not level or smooth
  • Esperanto: monotona — not level or smooth
  • Finnish: epätasainen — not level or smooth
  • French: inégal — not level or smooth
  • French: scabreux — not level or smooth
  • Georgian: უსწორმასწორო (usc̣ormasc̣oro) — not level or smooth
  • German: uneben — not level or smooth
  • Ancient Greek: ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos) — not level or smooth
  • Ancient Greek: ἄνισος (ánisos) — not level or smooth
  • Hungarian: egyenetlen — not level or smooth
  • Irish: aimhréidh — not level or smooth
  • Irish: cnocánach — not level or smooth
  • Irish: míchothrom — not level or smooth
  • Latin: asper — not level or smooth
  • Māori: pāhiwihiwi — not level or smooth
  • Māori: torehapehape — not level or smooth
  • Māori: whakanokenoke — not level or smooth
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ujevn — not level or smooth
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ujamn — not level or smooth
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ujamn — not level or smooth
  • Old English: unsmēþe — not level or smooth
  • Plautdietsch: ruch — not level or smooth
  • Polish: nierówny — not level or smooth
  • Portuguese: desnivelado — not level or smooth
  • Romanian: denivelat — not level or smooth
  • Russian: неро́вный (neróvnyj) — not level or smooth
  • Russian: негла́дкий (negládkij) — not level or smooth
  • Russian: шерохова́тый (šeroxovátyj) — not level or smooth
  • Spanish: desnivelado — not level or smooth
  • Spanish: disparejo — not level or smooth
  • Spanish: desparejo — not level or smooth
  • Ukrainian: нері́вний (nerívnyj) — not level or smooth
  • Bulgarian: неравномерен (neravnomeren) — not uniform
  • Bulgarian: непостоянен (nepostojanen) — not uniform
  • Catalan: escabrós — not uniform
  • Czech: nerovnoměrný — not uniform
  • Esperanto: neregula — not uniform
  • Esperanto: nesamforma — not uniform
  • Finnish: epäsäännöllinen — not uniform
  • Māori: kūreureu — not uniform
  • Māori: pāhikahika — not uniform
  • Māori: karawhiti — not uniform
  • Polish: nierównomierny — not uniform
  • Portuguese: desuniforme — not uniform
  • Russian: неравноме́рный (neravnomérnyj) — not uniform
  • Spanish: disparejo — not uniform
  • Spanish: desparejo — not uniform
  • Spanish: dispar — not uniform
  • Bulgarian: нееднакъв (neednakǎv) — varying in quality
  • Danish: ujævn — varying in quality
  • Esperanto: varia kvalito — varying in quality
  • Polish: nierówny — varying in quality
  • Portuguese: despadronizado — varying in quality
  • Russian: неровный (nerovnyj) — varying in quality
  • Spanish: despatronizado — varying in quality
  • Spanish: desparejo — varying in quality
  • Spanish: disparejo — varying in quality
  • Spanish: dispar — varying in quality
  • Swedish: ojämn — varying in quality