unfairly
adv.in a way that is not right or honest. You use this when someone is treated differently or worse than others for no good reason.
adv.in a manner that lacks justice, equity, or impartiality. Often describes the biased treatment of individuals or the unequal application of rules.
“The teacher treated the students unfairly.”
“Many employees felt they were treated unfairly when the bonus was only given to the management team.”
“The legal system is often criticized when it appears to punish marginalized groups unfairly while allowing more affluent defendants to escape with minor fines.”
Typically follows the verb it modifies or the direct object.
Learners sometimes confuse the adverb 'unfairly' with the adjective 'unfair' or the noun 'unfairness'.
From unfair + -ly or un- + fairly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.