ENGLISH
REFERENCE

unfair

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈənˈfɛɹ// UK //ʌnfˈeə// un·fair Archaic General-service

adj. not right or balanced according to the rules. You use this when someone is treated differently or more harshly than others for no good reason.

adj. not based on or behaving according to the principles of equality and justice. Often describes a situation where one party receives an undeserved advantage or disadvantage.


SIMPLE

It is unfair that some students get more time than others.

CONTEXTUAL

The workers went on strike because they felt the new pay cuts were completely unfair.

COMPLEX

Critics argued that the proposed tax law was fundamentally unfair, as it placed a disproportionate financial burden on low-income families while offering loopholes for the wealthy.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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

Usage

Typically used as a predicative adjective after 'be' or 'seem', or as an attributive adjective before a noun.

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