unfairun‧fair /ˌʌnˈfeə◂ $ -ˈfer◂/ ●●● S3 adjective 
an unfair advantage laws aimed at preventing unfair competition Many employers have recognized that age discrimination is unfair. She won £20,000 for unfair dismissal (=being illegally made to leave your job).—unfairly adverb: Mrs Taylor believes her son has been unfairly treated. The tribunal decided that Mr Matthews had been unfairly dismissed.—unfairness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSadverbsvery/most unfair· We live in a very unfair world.totally unfair· It’s totally unfair to blame one player when the team doesn’t play well.extremely/grossly unfair· The system was extremely unfair.a little/slightly unfair (also a bit unfair British English spoken)· You’re being slightly unfair on him.blatantly/manifestly/demonstrably unfair (=clearly unfair)· The newspaper called the judge’s ruling ‘blatantly unfair.’THESAURUSunfair/not fair not right or fair, especially because not everyone has an equal opportunity: · The present welfare system is grossly unfair.· It’s not fair that people are paying different prices for the same tickets.unjust not fair or right according to the principles of a particular society: · He believed it was an illegal and unjust war.· unjust lawsunequal unfair because people are treated in different ways or because some people have more power than others: · We live in a deeply unequal society.· the unequal distribution of global resourcesinequitable formal unfair because people are treated in different ways, or because some people have more power than others: · inequitable tax laws· The system is inequitable, because it makes it possible for rich people to buy a place at university.biased unfairly against or in favour of a particular group: · biased reporting· There were claims that prison bosses were racially biased.· The policy was biased against women.· The trade laws are biased in favour of rich countries.treating people unfairly because of their race, sex, age etcprejudiced treating someone unfairly and having an unreasonable dislike of them because of their race, sex etc, or because they are old, disabled etc: · The media had very prejudiced attitudes towards disabled people.· I don’t want to sound prejudiced, but I do think women are better at this type of job.racist treating someone unfairly because of their race: · racist remarks· Children pick up racist attitudes from their parents.sexist treating someone unfairly because of their sex: · He had made sexist comments to several women in the office.· The show was about two female inspectors who had trouble with their sexist bosses.ageist treating someone unfairly because of their age – used especially when old people are unfairly treated: · Ageist attitudes result in older people being discriminated against in the workplace.homophobic treating someone unfairly because they are homosexual: · Many of his songs are homophobic.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- an unfair advantage
- The press has been accused of unfair coverage of the recent elections.
- There is nothing unfair about a story that is written from both points of view.
- U.S. industries want to protect themselves from unfair foreign competition.
- But would that have been unfair?
- He feels strongly that racially based scholarships are unfair.
- However, it may be unfair to accuse the candidates of failing to attain the unattainable.
- It seemed so unfair but perhaps he was right.
- It was so deeply, wholly unfair.
- No legal framework prevails to enable disabled people to counteract discrimination, unfair employment practices, problems of access, etc.
- The unfair dismissal jurisdiction accounts for about three-quarters of the business of the tribunals.
- The liberal press was said to be unjust, unfair and unpatriotic and deserved to be closed down.
THESAURUS
not right or fair, especially because not everyone has an equal opportunity: · The present welfare system is grossly unfair.· It’s not fair that people are paying different prices for the same tickets.
not fair or right according to the principles of a particular society: · He believed it was an illegal and unjust war.· unjust laws
unfair because people are treated in different ways or because some people have more power than others: · We live in a deeply unequal society.· the unequal distribution of global resources
formal unfair because people are treated in different ways, or because some people have more power than others: · inequitable tax laws· The system is inequitable, because it makes it possible for rich people to buy a place at university.
unfairly against or in favour of a particular group: · biased reporting· There were claims that prison bosses were racially biased.· The policy was biased against women.· The trade laws are biased in favour of rich countries.
treating people unfairly because of their race, sex, age etc treating someone unfairly and having an unreasonable dislike of them because of their race, sex etc, or because they are old, disabled etc: · The media had very prejudiced attitudes towards disabled people.· I don’t want to sound prejudiced, but I do think women are better at this type of job.
treating someone unfairly because of their race: · racist remarks· Children pick up racist attitudes from their parents.
treating someone unfairly because of their sex: · He had made sexist comments to several women in the office.· The show was about two female inspectors who had trouble with their sexist bosses.
treating someone unfairly because of their age – used especially when old people are unfairly treated: · Ageist attitudes result in older people being discriminated against in the workplace.
treating someone unfairly because they are homosexual: · Many of his songs are homophobic.
Longman Language Activatornot treating people in a way that is reasonable or equal not treating everyone equally, or not treating people in a way that most people think is right: · The present welfare system is grossly unfair.· unfair laws· Do you think I'm being unfair?· I don't want to be unfair, but you have to admit she behaved stupidly.it's/that's not fair spoken: · Why do I always have to do the laundry? It's not fair!· That's not fair - it puts me at a disadvantage!it is unfair that/it is not fair that: · It seems very unfair that she got all the blame.it is unfair/not fair to do something: · It's not fair to have a dog if you're out at work all day.· I told him it wasn't fair to treat her any differently.unfair/not fair to/on: · This sort of arrangement is not fair on the players, and not fair on the fans.· The tax laws are very unfair to the self-employednot fair/unfair of somebody (to do something): · It's unfair of you to judge all young people in the same way.
not fair or not sensible: · It is possible for telephone companies to make profit without charging unreasonable rates.· Some news media have described the government's actions as excessive and unreasonable.· She divorced her husband on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.· It didn't seem like an unreasonable request.it is unreasonable (for somebody) to do something: · It's unreasonable to expect people to pay for something they haven't even seen yet.· It is not unreasonable for parents to want schools to reinforce the values children are taught at home.
a punishment or criticism that is undeserved is unfair because you do not deserve it: · He's come in for a lot of criticism, most of it completely undeserved.· Unfortunately, Lamarck has developed an undeserved reputation as a loser.· an undeserved and unwarranted attack
unfairly against, or unfairly in favour of a particular group: · The system is so biased that many citizens simply do not register to vote.biased towards/biased in favour of: · Export policy has been biased towards overseas customers.· Much of the information the clinics gave people was incomplete and biased in favour of educated middle-class clients.biased against: · University acceptance policies seem to be biased against minorities.
not fair or right according to the principles or ideas of a particular society: · They didn't mind breaking the law because they believed the law was unjust.· an unjust and pointless war· The legal aid charity has helped overturn some notoriously unjust verdicts.
British /favor American to treat one person in a group better than others, when you should treat all of them the same: · Many teachers favour boys, often without even realizing it.favour somebody over somebody: · The Federal Republic denied that its policies favored any race over another.
unfair treatment because of someone's race, sex, age etc: discrimination against · The Department was notorious for its blatant discrimination against non-U.S. citizen employees.· The policy forbids any form of discrimination against gay and lesbian students.racial discrimination (=discrimination because of someone's race) · a plan to tackle racial discrimination in the police forcesexual/sex/gender discrimination (=discrimination because of someone's sex) · a sex discrimination caseage discrimination (=discrimination because of someone's age, especially if they are quite old) · He believed his boss had violated the age discrimination law.reverse discrimination (=the practice of treating unfairly a group of people who usually have advantages, in order to be fair to people who do not have those advantages) · White-male fears of reverse discrimination have been widely exaggerated.
to treat someone unfairly because of their race, sex, age etc - use this especially about companies, the police, judges etc: · Shaun says he has definitely been discriminated against because he's black.· Why do so many companies think it's OK to discriminate against older people?
when people do not like or trust someone who is different, for example because they belong to a different race, country, religion etc: · For years he has fought against prejudice and racial hatred.prejudice against: · a rising prejudice against gaysracial prejudice (=prejudice because of someone's race): · The number of hate crimes spurred by racial prejudice is increasing in our state.
when people do not have the same rights or opportunities in their education, their jobs etc, because of their sex, race, or social class: inequality in: · The report looks at inequality in education.inequality between: · The study shows that large inequalities still exist between men and women.inequality of/in: · Most of the complaints centered on the inequality of the justice system.social/sexual/racial etc inequality: · Social inequality is likely to increase in the 21st century.· signs of economic inequality
discriminatory laws, systems etc treat one particular group in society, such as women or black people, unfairly: · Congress is to launch an inquiry into discriminatory acts by immigration officials.· The government enacted laws to protect women from discriminatory employment practices.· Was there evidence of discriminatory treatment?
an attitude or belief, usually about the way you should behave, that is unfairly thought to be correct for one group in society but not for another: · Their action is designed to call attention to the double standards operating in the Mexican judicial system.· What disturbs me most is the racial double standard that exists in foreign policy: Predominantly white countries are given aid and attention while predominantly non-white countries are ignored.
when a report, description etc is unfair · The press has been accused of unfair coverage of the recent elections.· There is nothing unfair about a story that is written from both points of view.
a biased report, account etc is unfair and not correct because it supports one particular group, usually because the writer or newspaper has a connection with that group: · There have been complaints about biased reporting in the tabloid press.biased towards/biased in favour of: · Most newspapers are biased towards one political party or the other.biased against: · Roughly four-fifths of Sun readers believed the paper was biased against the Labour party.
a one-sided account, description etc is unfair because it only gives one opinion and not the opposite one, or only tells one part of the story when there are other equally important parts: · Newspapers often give a very one-sided account of political events.· Corcoran called the accusations unjust and one-sided.
presenting facts or information in a way that favours one opinion or side of an argument: · White will make a tough stand against slanted reporting.slanted in favour of: · Her arguments are clearly slanted in favour of capital punishment, in spite of her religious convictions.
when one person or group is treated much better than others British /favoritism American when a teacher, parent, manager etc treats one person in a much better way than the others because they like that person, not because that person deserves it: · Within government, favoritism and nepotism are rampant.· If I give Paul the job, I'll be accused of favoritism.favouritism towardsBritish /toward American: · The Labor Secretary said there had been no favoritism toward management in the dispute.
if a particular person or group gets preferential treatment , they are treated better than other people and therefore have an advantage over them: · She has insisted that she receive no preferential treatment for being an American citizen. give somebody preferential treatment: · I get the impression it's busty women who are given preferential treatment around here.receive/get preferential treatment: · Neither I nor my company received any preferential treatment from the White House.
when someone in authority gives jobs or special treatment to members of their family - use this to show disapproval: · He resigned, amid rumours of nepotism.· Nepotism is an old story in Hollywood circles.
a situation or decision which is very unfair when people are treated with great unfairness, especially in connection with their legal rights: · She will be remembered for her ceaseless campaigning against injustice.· These injustices are intolerable, especially when the victims are children.economic/social/racial injustice: · The group, called the Wilmington 10, were active in protests against racial injustices in the schools in the early 1970s.
a situation that is extremely unfair and morally wrong because it has completely the opposite result to the one it is supposed to have: · The Salem witch trials have proved to be a legal travesty.a travesty of justice: · Not allowing her to speak in her own defence was a travesty of justice.
a situation in which someone is wrongly punished for a crime that they were not responsible for: · Whenever a miscarriage of justice is discovered, people lose respect for the law.· The safeguards are intended to prevent a miscarriage of justice.a gross miscarriage of justice (=a very serious miscarriage): · The execution was a gross miscarriage of justice against an innocent man.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadverbs Wilson was claiming compensation for unfair dismissal.
· We live in a very unfair world.
· It’s totally unfair to blame one player when the team doesn’t play well.
· The system was extremely unfair.
(also a bit unfair British English spoken)· You’re being slightly unfair on him.
(=clearly unfair)· The newspaper called the judge’s ruling ‘blatantly unfair.’
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Companies that receive government subsidies have an unfair advantage.
· The new legislation put an unfair burden on employers.
· A fair comparison between the two firms is extremely difficult.
· This will protect the industry from unfair competition from abroad.
Wilson was claiming compensation for unfair dismissal.· Anyone trying to use unfair means in an examination will be reported to the University.
(=actions which are not fair or honest)· I wouldn't stoop to such sneaky, underhand tactics.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The present leasehold system affects an estimated three million owners and has been widely condemned as unfair and archaic.· The either-or argument is of course as unfair as it is fallacious.· Capitalism may be perceived as unfair, and needing reform, but it is also perceived as incapable of fundamental transformation.· The market quickly comes to be seen as unfair, and political support for official privatization falls.· The drug companies condemn the imports as unfair because they alone must foot the registration costs.
· In February 1977 Serfaty was finally put on trial in Kenitra, which Amnesty considered grossly unfair.· This is not only grossly unfair, it is an impediment to good lending.· That the Hammers should have been penalised for it, however, seems grossly unfair.· It is still appallingly ill thought out and it will be grossly unfair.· The impossibility of shaking them in cross-examination would make such a reform grossly unfair to the media.· It's grossly unfair for television to single out one player from one game and conduct a kangaroo court there and then.· This was, of course, dismissed by supporters of devolution as a grossly unfair caricature.· We live in a desperately and grossly unfair world.
· Jean thought it most unfair to the organiser, in this case, Cecilia Taylor.· That would be most unfair and unfortunate, and I am sure would not be what my right hon. Friend wishes.· Sir Brian, you are most unfair.· It would be most unfair if he should suffer for the Kaiser's unpopularity.
· It seemed so unfair but perhaps he was right.· That was the final truth: just so unfair.· He was being so unfair, so cruel!· Oh, it was so unfair!· Everything was so unfair, so bitterly frustrating.· You have been so unfair to me!· She didn't mean to, but it was so unfair.· It seemed so unfair, somehow.
· This image might be totally unfair.· I regarded this as totally unfair since in my comments I had not picked on any particular individual.· It represents totally unfair competition, not only to Tennis World but also to Tennis Magazine.
· Jenny was really being very unfair to him.· It was very unfair and for Alec Davidson it was torture.· All of which is very unfair.· Male speaker It's very unfair.· I banked over the let Anne see; the right-hand traffic rule is very unfair to passengers!· This is very unfair to other hon. Members.
NOUN· Salary caps are imposed to prevent richer clubs gaining an unfair advantage over poorer rivals by offering players inflated salaries.· But if the absolute rise in eps is used, companies which begin with high eps have an unfair advantage.· The first is that in so far as people continue to believe the figures, the Government derives an unfair advantage.· After all, if they tried to play as women, they would be accused of stealing an unfair advantage.· But 20-20 hindsight is an unfair advantage.· The man had every possible unfair advantage.· Certainly it will not in any way help John Smith to any sort of unfair advantage.
· Unfortunately, some policyholders were inadequately insured, thus imposing an unfair burden on all the others.· It would impose an unfair burden on the poor.· They say such a requirement would place an unfair burden on them.
· Crompton offers several different case studies where charges of unfair competition are made by the commercial sector provider against the government agency.· It was felt by John Davis and others that the government was backing unfair competition with the commercial companies.· It's unfair competition and unfair to the customer as well.· This is successful marketing, not unfair competition.· Part of the growth of road transport reflected the political tolerance of what unions and rail pressure groups regarded as unfair competition.· It represents totally unfair competition, not only to Tennis World but also to Tennis Magazine.
· As for Mr Gilbert, an industrial tribunal dismissed his claim of unfair discrimination.· But unfair discrimination can keep women from the opportunity to become a boss.
· Compensation for unfair dismissal or redundancy may be available to you if you have lost your job and fulfil the qualifying requirements.· Anyone who believes they have been subject to unfair dismissal can complain to an industrial tribunal.· The Court of Appeal concluded that he ordinarily worked outside Great Britain and was therefore unable to pursue an unfair dismissal claim.· Dave, 30, of Bolton and Allan, 37, of Liverpool say no-one had complained and are claiming unfair dismissal.· They all made a complaint of unfair dismissal.· By contrast, industrial tribunals in the exercise of the unfair dismissal jurisdiction are concerned with disputes between employee and employer.· Such dismissals may lead to claims for unfair dismissal and/or redundancy payments.· The union withdrew its support; the women lost their case for unfair dismissal as a consequence.
· The all-male strip troupe are being checked out by the Office of Fair Trading after a rival group complained about unfair practices.
· As citizens we can oppose unfair trade and voice that opposition to our political leaders.· To hear the industry's lobbyists tell it, this hinges on political willingness to fight unfair trade.· Britain has been a loser country in a manifestly unfair trade environment.
· Individual citizens and minority communities themselves need protection against the power of the state and against discrimination and unfair treatment.· Should Janice suffer in silence in the face of continued unfair treatment by her head?· But he will not in the end tolerate injustice and unfair treatment on either side.· Grossly unfair treatment could affect your physical and mental well-being, as well as that of members of your close family.· There were only a very few complaints about unfair treatment from staff, but many about antipathy from male students.
WORD FAMILYadverbfairly ≠ unfairlyfairnounfairness ≠ unfairnessadjectivefair ≠ unfair
not right or fair, especially because not everyone has an equal opportunity SYN unjust: an unfair advantage laws aimed at preventing unfair competition Many employers have recognized that age discrimination is unfair. She won £20,000 for unfair dismissal (=being illegally made to leave your job).—unfairly adverb: Mrs Taylor believes her son has been unfairly treated. The tribunal decided that Mr Matthews had been unfairly dismissed.—unfairness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSadverbsvery/most unfair· We live in a very unfair world.totally unfair· It’s totally unfair to blame one player when the team doesn’t play well.extremely/grossly unfair· The system was extremely unfair.a little/slightly unfair (also a bit unfair British English spoken)· You’re being slightly unfair on him.blatantly/manifestly/demonstrably unfair (=clearly unfair)· The newspaper called the judge’s ruling ‘blatantly unfair.’THESAURUSunfair/not fair not right or fair, especially because not everyone has an equal opportunity: · The present welfare system is grossly unfair.· It’s not fair that people are paying different prices for the same tickets.unjust not fair or right according to the principles of a particular society: · He believed it was an illegal and unjust war.· unjust lawsunequal unfair because people are treated in different ways or because some people have more power than others: · We live in a deeply unequal society.· the unequal distribution of global resourcesinequitable formal unfair because people are treated in different ways, or because some people have more power than others: · inequitable tax laws· The system is inequitable, because it makes it possible for rich people to buy a place at university.biased unfairly against or in favour of a particular group: · biased reporting· There were claims that prison bosses were racially biased.· The policy was biased against women.· The trade laws are biased in favour of rich countries.treating people unfairly because of their race, sex, age etcprejudiced treating someone unfairly and having an unreasonable dislike of them because of their race, sex etc, or because they are old, disabled etc: · The media had very prejudiced attitudes towards disabled people.· I don’t want to sound prejudiced, but I do think women are better at this type of job.racist treating someone unfairly because of their race: · racist remarks· Children pick up racist attitudes from their parents.sexist treating someone unfairly because of their sex: · He had made sexist comments to several women in the office.· The show was about two female inspectors who had trouble with their sexist bosses.ageist treating someone unfairly because of their age – used especially when old people are unfairly treated: · Ageist attitudes result in older people being discriminated against in the workplace.homophobic treating someone unfairly because they are homosexual: · Many of his songs are homophobic.