Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

unfair en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ʌnˈfɛː(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ɐnˈfɛə(ɹ)] (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ʌnˈfɛɚ/ (General-American)
  • [ɐnˈfɛː(ɹ)] (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English unfair (“unattractive, unseemly”), from Old English unfæġer (“ugly”), equivalent to un- + fair.

Meanings

  1. Not fair. ▸ Not just.
    • Khan countered this by alleging that 'unfair' conditions, such as raising council tax, are being attached to any new funding deal that would "punish Londoners" for the effect the pandemic has had on passenger numbers. He added: "These short-term deals are trapping TfL on life support rather than putting it on the path to long-term sustainability." 2022 January 12, “Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emergency funding”, in RAIL, number 948, page 8:
    • Cuphead built a reputation for difficulty before release, but its boss battles are mostly about recognizing patterns than getting lucky against unfair bosses. Watching players ace their way through the game’s bosses is a spellbinding reminder that even tough games can be defeated easily with hard work. 2017 October 2, Heather Alexandra, “Cuphead Player Beats Bosses Without Taking A Single Hit”, in Kotaku, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2018:
    • He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair. 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2017, page 162:
    • It was unfair for the boss to give larger bonuses to his friends.
  2. (archaic, rare) Not fair. ▸ Not beautiful; uncomely; unattractive.
  3. (archaic, obsolete) Not fair. ▸ Sorrowful; sad.
  4. (archaic) Not fair. ▸ Unseemly; disgraceful.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more unfair Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most unfair Degree=Sup lexicographic
unfairer Degree=Cmp lexicographic
unfairest Degree=Sup lexicographic

Antonyms

pretty · just · equitable · fair · comely · fair · beautiful

Coordinates

inequal · unequal

Deriveds

unfairly · unfair list · unfair competition · unfair dismissal · unfairness

Relateds

uneven · foul · unwarranted · invidious · underhanded · fair go · prejudiced · partial · cheating · dishonorable · unequal · unjustified · disproportionate · excessive · dishonest · wrongful · discriminatory · wrong · biased · unethical · unfavorable · unjust

Synonyms

unequitable · inequitable · unjust · no fair

Translations (48)

is ósanngjarn (not fair) · nb urettferdig (not fair) · mk нечесен (not fair) · hy անարդար (not fair) · km មិនយុត្តិធម៌ (not fair) · nn urettferdig (not fair) · cs nespravedlivý (not fair) · fr injuste (not fair) · pt injusto (not fair) · sk nespravodlivý (not fair) · ru несправедли́вый (not fair) · cmn 不公平 (not fair) · be несправядлі́вы (not fair) · mi makihuhunu (not fair) · sh неправичан (not fair) · ca injust (not fair) · kmr neheq (not fair) · uk несправедли́вий (not fair) · lb onfair (not fair) · fr déloyal (not fair) · hu igazságtalan (not fair) · la inīquus (not fair) · da ufin (not fair) · de ungerecht (not fair) · it ingiusto (not fair) · wyi ngaboon-noon-koorreen (not fair) · de unfair (not fair) · ja 不公平 (not fair) · ota عدالتسز (not fair) · ko 불공평하다 (not fair) · it scorretto (not fair) · da uretfærdig (not fair) · pl nieuczciwy (not fair) · pl niesprawiedliwy (not fair) · es que no vale (not fair) · tr adaletsiz (not fair) · es injusto (not fair) · it sleale (not fair) · hu méltánytalan (not fair) · eo maljusta (not fair) · bg несправедли́в (not fair) · sh nepravičan (not fair) · ang unrihtwīs (not fair) · es inicuo (not fair) · fi epäreilu (not fair) · sv orättvis (not fair) · vi bất công (not fair) · ja ずるい (not fair)

unfair en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ʌnˈfɛː(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ɐnˈfɛə(ɹ)] (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ʌnˈfɛɚ/ (General-American)
  • [ɐnˈfɛː(ɹ)] (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English unfair (“unattractive, unseemly”), from Old English unfæġer (“ugly”), equivalent to un- + fair.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete, transitive) to make ugly
    • Those hours that with gentle work did frame / The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell / Will play the tyrants to the very same / And that unfair which fairly doth excel. 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 5”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
unfaired Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
unfaired Tense=Past lexicographic
unfairing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
unfairs Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic