equality
nounUK /ɪˈkwɒl.ɪ.ti/ · US /ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French equalité (modern French égalité), from Latin aequālitās, aequālitātem. Doublet of equity. By surface analysis, equal + -ity
1
Usually The fact of being equal.
- The most powerful of these general ideas which have shaped political development in recent times is of course the ideal of material equality.1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 425:
2
Mathematics, Sciences Usually The fact of being equal, of having the same value.
3
Usually The equal treatment of people irrespective of social or cultural differences.
- I think somebody asked me the other day when I was holding a conference over here at the library if a woman could be President of the United States. Well I said they've taken over everything else in the world, why not that? [Laughter] And that wouldn't surprise me if it doesn't happen one of these days because the country believes in equality.1964 December 13, Harry S. Truman, 8:26 from the start, in MP77-34 KCMO-TV News Segments, 1964-1966, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:
- Jefferson was talking about the equality of natural human rights. You have freedom, and I have freedom. You and I have equal rights to freedom.2020 December 12, Ouyang Fei, “The Issue of Equality in the U.S. Election and Its Communist Roots”, in Minghui, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2023:
1 more example
- Why are women waiting for men — who are the majority of our politicians, justices and judges — to benevolently bestow equality unto us? Here you go, little ladies, welcome to our club, classroom, workplace and C-suite…if you play by our rules.2023 May 6, Marcie Bianco, “Opinion: For women, it’s past time to give up the ghost of equality”, in CNN, archived from the original on 01 Jun 2023:
- Antonyms
- difference, inequality, nonequivalence, discrimination, pecking order, hierarchy
- Derived terms
- antiequality, coequality, comparative of equality, disequality, equalitarian, equality money, equality of arms, equality sign, marriage equality, nonequality, unequality
- Hyponyms
- equipollence