disparity
noun
dis·par·i·ty
di-ˈsper-ə-tē 
-ˈspa-rə-
plural disparities
: a noticeable and usually significant difference or dissimilarity
economic/income disparities
The fact is that America's colleges … have lately been exacerbating more than ameliorating the widening disparity of wealth and opportunity in American society.—
Andrew Delbanco
Andrew Delbanco… in no other composer is the disparity between the man and his work so immense. Bach's life is considered stupefyingly ordinary, but his music is divine …—Edward Rothstein
Edward Rothstein
Did you know?
Disparity contains the Latin dis, meaning "apart" or "non-", so a disparity is a kind of "nonequality". The word is often used to describe a social or economic condition that's considered unfairly unequal: a racial disparity in hiring, a health disparity between the rich and the poor, an income disparity between men and women, and so on. Its adjective, disparate (accented on the first syllable), is often used to emphasize strong differences.
Synonyms
Examples of disparity in a Sentence
an enormous disparity in the lives of the rich and the poor in that country
Recent Examples on the Web
Given that disparity, the average investor who invested $50,000 could have gotten an extra $115 of interest by picking a longer-term CD and cashing it in early, their research suggests.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will hold the distinction of being the only HBCU medical school in the Gulf South, reinforcing Xavier’s commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and fostering diversity in the medical profession.
—Kizzy Cox, Essence, 27 Jan. 2025
By applying these principles beyond cannabis, industries with significant financial influence can contribute to closing economic disparities and fostering true equity.
—Summer Westerbur, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025
The racial disparities in how cannabis laws are enforced are hard to ignore.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disparity 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will hold the distinction of being the only HBCU medical school in the Gulf South, reinforcing Xavier’s commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and fostering diversity in the medical profession.
—Kizzy Cox, Essence, 27 Jan. 2025
By applying these principles beyond cannabis, industries with significant financial influence can contribute to closing economic disparities and fostering true equity.
—Summer Westerbur, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025
The racial disparities in how cannabis laws are enforced are hard to ignore.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disparity
Articles Related to disparity
Dictionary Entries Near disparity
Cite this Entry
“Disparity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparity. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
disparity
noun
dis·par·i·ty
dis-ˈpar-ət-ē
plural disparities
: the state of being different or dissimilar (as in the sensory information received) see retinal disparity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share