unfair
Americanadjective
-
not fair; not conforming to approved standards, as of justice, honesty, or ethics.
an unfair law;
an unfair wage policy.
-
disproportionate; undue; beyond what is proper or fitting.
an unfair share.
adjective
-
characterized by inequality or injustice
-
dishonest or unethical
Other Word Forms
- unfairly adverb
- unfairness noun
Etymology
Origin of unfair
First recorded before 900; 1705–15 unfair for def. 1; Middle English: “uncomely, ugly”; Old English unfæger; cognate with Old Norse ūfagr; un- 1 + fair 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.
The claim alleges that Rightmove has charged thousands of estate agents and new home developers excessive and unfair subscription fees, and action has been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
From BBC
The Scottish Greens rejected claims that the process was unfair.
From BBC
“The proposed settlement agreement to exempt only houses of worship and not secular nonprofits would have been unfair and a violation of church-state separation,” she said.
Eventually we learned I had an immune condition; I also had mono, which felt cosmically unfair considering I had not yet been kissed and suspected I’d contracted it from the skating rink water fountain.
From Salon
When asked if he felt it was "unfair" that the teams had to play in Cardiff just five days after their respective play-off heartbreaks, O'Neill said "we knew the situation coming into it".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
