disparity

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UK/dɪˈspæɹɪti/UK/dɪˈspæɹəti/UK[dɪˈspæɹti]US[dɪˈspæɹɾi]

noun

The state of being unequal; difference.

Less commonScrabble 15

Meanings

noundisparity (countable and uncountable, plural disparities)

plural disparities

  1. uncountableThe state of being unequal; difference.

    There was a disparity of view over the use of diesel or electric motive power for the route south of Crewe, and the Prime Minister even felt a modern design of steam locomotives would be the best solution.

    2020 April 8, David Clough, “How the West Coast wiring war was won”, in Rail, page 58
    1 more example

    With no great disparity between them in point of years, they were, in every other respect, as unlike and far removed from each other as two men could well be. The one was soft-spoken, delicately made, precise, and elegant; the other, a burly square-built man, negligently dressed, rough and abrupt in manner, stern, and, in his present mood, forbidding both in look and speech.

    1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 12.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 301
  2. countableIncongruity.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Latindisparitātem
  2. Middle Frenchdisparité
  3. Englishdisparity

From Middle French disparité, from Latin disparitātem, accusative of disparitās, from dispār + -tās, from dis- + pār. By surface analysis, dis- + parity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian разлика, неравенство
  • разлика (razlika)the state of being unequal; difference
  • неравенство (neravenstvo)the state of being unequal; difference
  • несъответствие (nesăotvetstvie)incongruity
  • несъразмерност (nesărazmernost)incongruity
Catalan disparitat
  • disparitatthe state of being unequal; difference
Dutch ongelijkheid, onevenredigheid
  • ongelijkheidthe state of being unequal; difference
  • onevenredigheidthe state of being unequal; difference
Finnish eroavuus, erilaisuus
  • eroavuusthe state of being unequal; difference
  • erilaisuusthe state of being unequal; difference
French disparité
  • disparitéthe state of being unequal; difference
German Differenz, Unterschiedlichkeit
  • Differenzthe state of being unequal; difference
  • Unterschiedlichkeitthe state of being unequal; difference
  • Unterschiedthe state of being unequal; difference
  • Disparitätthe state of being unequal; difference
  • Ungleichheitthe state of being unequal; difference
  • Unvereinbarkeitincongruity
  • Ungleichheitincongruity
Hindi विषमता
  • विषमता (viṣamtā)the state of being unequal; difference
Persian نابرابری
  • نابرابری (nâ-barâbari)the state of being unequal; difference
Polish nierówność, nierównowaga
  • nierównośćthe state of being unequal; difference
  • nierównowagathe state of being unequal; difference
  • rozbieżnośćthe state of being unequal; difference
  • rozstrzałthe state of being unequal; difference
  • rozrzutthe state of being unequal; difference
  • różnicathe state of being unequal; difference
Portuguese disparidade
  • disparidadethe state of being unequal; difference
Russian нера́венство, разли́чие
  • нера́венство (nerávenstvo)the state of being unequal; difference
  • разли́чие (razlíčije)the state of being unequal; difference
  • несоотве́тствие (nesootvétstvije)incongruity
  • несоразме́рность (nesorazmérnostʹ)incongruity
Spanish disparidad
  • disparidadthe state of being unequal; difference
Swedish ojämlikhet
  • ojämlikhetthe state of being unequal; difference
Ukrainian нері́вність, різни́ця
  • нері́вність (nerívnistʹ)the state of being unequal; difference
  • різни́ця (riznýcja)the state of being unequal; difference
  • розбі́жність (rozbížnistʹ)incongruity
  • невідпові́дність (nevidpovídnistʹ)incongruity
Cite this entry
APA

disparity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disparity

MLA

“disparity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disparity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disparity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disparity.

Source: disparity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.