uneven

[ uhn-ee-vuhn ]

adjective

1. not level or flat; rough; rugged:

   The wheels bumped and jolted over the uneven surface.

2. irregular; varying; not uniform:

   The book is uneven in quality.

3. not equitable or fair; one-sided:

   an uneven contest.

   Synonyms: lopsided, unequal, unfair

4. not equally balanced; not symmetrical or parallel.
5. (of a number) odd; not divisible into two equal integers:

   The numerals 3, 5, and 7 are uneven.

uneven

/ ʌnˈiːvən /

adjective

1. (of a surface, etc) not level or flat
2. spasmodic or variable
3. not parallel, straight, or horizontal
4. not fairly matched

   an uneven race

5. archaic.
   not equal
6. obsolete.
   unjust

Derived Forms

• unˈevenness, noun
• unˈevenly, adverb

Other Words From

• un·even·ly adverb
• un·even·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uneven¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English unefen; cognate with German uneben. See un- ¹, even ¹

Example Sentences

One-quarter of respondents don’t see getting back to normal operations until Q1 2021 or beyond, underscoring that this is a highly uneven recovery.

From Fortune

The uneven recovery in spending highlights what is already a growing income gap.

From Ozy

Still, experts say that the gains from having arts-related facilities, while uneven, are real.

From Ozy

It also doesn’t deal with the uneven distribution of the technology that is supposed to catapult us into this new age.

From Singularity Hub 

I do think, to Michael’s earlier point, that some of the problematic nature of the equipment they’ve shipped — their uneven reputation on the quality of their pharma products and so forth — will cause people to want to test it pretty heavily first.

From Freakonomics

Data are much better for Europe and Latin America, and frustratingly uneven for Africa and much of Asia.

From The Daily Beast

Their uneven threads showed potential for backing out or breaking, he said.

From The Daily Beast

The power delivered by the rocket motor was uneven and tricky to control.

From The Daily Beast

So the dependency story is strange and uneven, and especially nasty when it comes to women.

From The Daily Beast

This stirring moment arrives in a chapter that spotlights the highs and lows of a persistently uneven book.

From The Daily Beast

Or were they merely orthodox through a more uneven balancing of their qualities, the animal in abeyance?

From Project Gutenberg

The shell is thick, and is surrounded by an uneven gelatinous envelop which is often stained with bile.

From Project Gutenberg

The sweat of death was already on his brow as he reeled sideways, plunging blindly across the uneven tufts of grass.

From Project Gutenberg

The fields present a much more even appearance than similar fields in France, where the tobacco grown is small and uneven.

From Project Gutenberg

But finally they were obliged to cut off only the uneven bits of cloth which hung around the edges.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bumpy
• irregular
• odd
• patchy
• rough
• spotty
• unbalanced
• unequal
• unsteady