Synonyms

disparity

American

[dih-spar-i-tee] / dɪˈspær ɪ ti /

noun

plural

disparities

lack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference.

a disparity in age; disparity in rank.

disparity British

/ dɪˈspærɪtɪ /

noun

inequality or difference, as in age, rank, wages, etc
dissimilarity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See difference.

Other Word Forms

nondisparity noun

Etymology

Origin of disparity

First recorded in 1545–55; from Middle French desparite, from Late Latin disparitās; equivalent to dis- ¹ + parity ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But calls to do something about the disparity are growing.

From Barron's

This disparity encourages many homeowners to stay put rather than move to a different home and take on a higher tax bill.

From The Wall Street Journal

For many, the disparity between the haves and have-nots right there, on your phone, was too much to be ignored, in a country where youth unemployment stands at 20.6% and with three million working overseas.

From BBC

They say that the gaping revenue disparity between big-market teams like the two-time defending champion Dodgers and their small-market counterparts has hurt competitive balance and alienated fans.

From The Wall Street Journal

AI applications pose unaddressed privacy risks and perpetuate healthcare bias when patients upload medical data to chatbots, potentially exposing personal information to insurance decisions while reflecting cultural disparities embedded in training data.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023