inequity

noun

in·​eq·​ui·​ty (ˌ)i-ˈne-kwə-tē 

1

: injustice, unfairness

social/racial/educational inequity

… rebellion against flagrant inequity in the labor market …

—Robert Lekachman

2

: an instance of injustice or unfairness

wage inequities

Synonyms of inequity

• injustice

Examples of inequity in a Sentence

the inequities in wages paid to men and women

the inequity of the punishment led many people to believe that the defendant was being punished for his political beliefs

Recent Examples on the Web

Framing this as a divide between suburban taxpayers and urban students risks deepening inequities rather than solving them. —Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Rather than confronting structural inequities in education, employment, and housing, policymakers turned to fertility as a point of intervention, shifting blame for poverty away from social conditions and onto people’s reproductive behaviors. —Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026

My first concrete lessons in food inequity came from eleven- and twelve-year-olds. —Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026

Yet the underlying inequities between students did not shift. —Brittany Adams, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inequity

• equity

Kids Definition

inequity

noun

in·​eq·​ui·​ty (ˈ)in-ˈek-wət-ē 

plural inequities

1

: injustice sense 1, unfairness

2

: an instance of injustice or unfairness

Legal Definition

inequity

noun

in·​eq·​ui·​ty in-ˈe-kwə-tē 

plural inequities

: injustice

also : an instance of injustice