Meanings
- Used to satirize the hypocrisy of unequal political hierarchies in societies that profess equality for all.
But Musk's concept of what constitutes democracy is way off of what it is by definition, hence this classic "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" move.
2023 April 25, Melanie Mcfarland, “"What a sad, muddled place this has become": The madness of Twitter's blue checkpocalypse”, in Salon1 more example
Dear @FIDE_chess and organisers of the Championship! As known, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Is it fair to provide @MagnusCarlsen a personal lounge where he can rest and prepare to the game using a laptop, while nobody else has such an opportunity?
2023 December 26, Ian Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq), Twitter
Origin
Coined by George Orwell in 1945 in Animal Farm.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20animals%20are%20equal%2C%20but%20some%20animals%20are%20more%20equal%20than%20others
“all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20animals%20are%20equal%2C%20but%20some%20animals%20are%20more%20equal%20than%20others. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20animals%20are%20equal%2C%20but%20some%20animals%20are%20more%20equal%20than%20others.
Source: all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.