adj · verb · 6 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
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Received-Pronunciation:/ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/
Received-Pronunciation:[ɐnˈfɛə(ɹ)]
Received-Pronunciation:/ʌnˈfɛː(ɹ)/
Received-Pronunciation:[ɐnˈfɛː(ɹ)]
General-American:/ʌnˈfɛɚ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:AH0 N F EH1 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:AH1 N F EH1 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 3:AO2 N F EH1 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not fair.
Not just.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
It was unfair for the boss to give larger bonuses to his friends.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: no fair, unjust, inequitable, unequitable
Antonyms: fair, just, equitable
2
adj
Meaning 2
Not fair.
Not beautiful; uncomely; unattractive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: fair, beautiful, comely, pretty
3
adj
Meaning 3
Not fair.
Sorrowful; sad.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Not fair.
Unseemly; disgraceful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
to make ugly
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective
Meaning 6
not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
used unfair methods
it was an unfair trial
took an unfair advantage
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unjust
Antonyms: fair
History
Etymology
From Middle English unfair (“unattractive, unseemly”), from Old English unfæġer (“ugly”), equivalent to un- + fair.
Across languages
Translations
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
անարդար
(anardar)
— not fair
Belarusian:
несправядлі́вы
(njespravjadlívy)
— not fair
Bulgarian:
несправедли́в
(nespravedlív)
— not fair
Catalan:
injust
— not fair
Chinese Mandarin:
不公平
(bùgōngpíng)
— not fair
Czech:
nespravedlivý
— not fair
Danish:
uretfærdig
— not fair
Danish:
ufin
— not fair
Esperanto:
maljusta
— not fair
Finnish:
epäreilu
— not fair
French:
injuste
— not fair
French:
déloyal
— not fair
German:
unfair
— not fair
German:
ungerecht
— not fair
Hungarian:
méltánytalan
— not fair
Hungarian:
igazságtalan
— not fair
Icelandic:
ósanngjarn
— not fair
Italian:
scorretto
— not fair
Italian:
sleale
— not fair
Italian:
ingiusto
— not fair
Japanese:
不公平
(fukōhei)
— not fair
Japanese:
ずるい
(zurui)
— not fair
Khmer:
មិនយុត្តិធម៌
(mɨn-yuttethɔə)
— not fair
Korean:
불공평하다
(bulgongpyeonghada)
— not fair
Northern Kurdish:
neheq
— not fair
Latin:
inīquus
— not fair
Luxembourgish:
onfair
— not fair
Macedonian:
нечесен
(nečesen)
— not fair
Māori:
makihuhunu
— not fair
Norwegian Bokmål:
urettferdig
— not fair
Norwegian Nynorsk:
urettferdig
— not fair
Old English:
unrihtwīs
— not fair
Polish:
nieuczciwy
— not fair
Polish:
niesprawiedliwy
— not fair
Portuguese:
injusto
— not fair
Russian:
несправедли́вый
(nespravedlívyj)
— not fair
Serbo-Croatian:
неправичан
— not fair
Serbo-Croatian:
nepravičan
— not fair
Slovak:
nespravodlivý
— not fair
Spanish:
injusto
— not fair
Spanish:
que no vale
— not fair
Spanish:
inicuo
— not fair
Swedish:
orättvis
— not fair
Turkish:
adaletsiz
— not fair
Ottoman Turkish:
عدالتسز
(ʼadaletsiz)
— not fair
Ukrainian:
несправедли́вий
(nespravedlývyj)
— not fair
