disparity

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /dɪsˈpɛrəti/ UK /dɪsˈparɪti/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a great difference or inequality between things

The disparity in wealth between the two districts was stark.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a great difference or... difference inequality discrepancy imbalance divergence gap incongruity

Opposites

parity equality similarity equivalence uniformity

Word family

Related forms disparate parity par compare

Etymology

From Middle French disparité, from Late Latin disparitas ('inequality'), from Latin dispar ('unequal'), from dis- ('apart') + par ('equal').

disparitas Latin par Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# disparity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪsˈpɛrəti/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪsˈparɪti/

## Meanings
1. a great difference or inequality between things

## Examples
- The disparity in wealth between the two districts was stark.

## Synonyms
- difference
- inequality
- discrepancy
- imbalance
- divergence
- gap
- incongruity

## Antonyms
- parity
- equality
- similarity
- equivalence
- uniformity

## Related Forms
- disparate
- parity
- par
- compare

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: disparitas
- Root: par

## Etymology
From Middle French disparité, from Late Latin disparitas ('inequality'), from Latin dispar ('unequal'), from dis- ('apart') + par ('equal').

## AI Etymology
Disparity is from Middle French disparité, from Late Latin disparitas ('inequality'), from Latin dispar ('unequal'), from dis- ('apart') + par ('equal'). The ancestry passes through Latin disparitas and Latin par. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a noun, it means "a great difference or inequality between things", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include disparate, parity, par, and compare.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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