iniquity
n. uncountablen. extreme wickedness or sin. It describes a very bad action or a system that is deeply unfair.
n. extreme wickedness, sin, or injustice. Often used in religious or highly formal contexts to describe systemic corruption or moral failure.
The leader was condemned for his iniquity.
The new law was designed to address the deep iniquity of the previous social system.
The prophet's speech was a powerful condemnation of the iniquity that had taken root in the city's highest halls of power.
From Middle English iniquite, jniquite (“evil, wickedness, iniquity; evil act; hostility, malevolence; hostile act; a calamity, misfortune”), from Old French iniquité (modern French iniquité (“iniquity”)), from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”), from inīquus (“unequal, uneven, unfair; disadvantageous, unfavourable; hostile, unkind; unsuitable; wicked, wrong”) + -itās (variant of -tās (suffix forming a noun indicating a state of being)). Inīquus is derived from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + aequus (“equal; fair, impartial, just”). Piecewise doublet of inequity.