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equality

equality

293 2.2
People have the same rights, position, and opportunities
  • noun
  • /ɪˈkwɑːləti/
translation icon : igualdad
  • Racial equality for all people.
  • gender equality
  • racial equality
  • social equality

It imagined a world of equality and justice and fun.

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Examples

  • What's that going to mean for equality of opportunity?

  • But no one knew exactly when or where the struggle for equality would begin.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • We now know for sure that equality is good for everyone, rich and poor.

  • We do not have gender equality in this world anywhere.

  • "We need a guarantee of equality as much now as we did then."

    Academic text (1999)
  • Equality has finally come to New York.

  • We have learned that women need not only equality; they need the freedom to pursue equality.

    Academic text (1990)
  • He too fought for race equality and rights here in Britain.

  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads a march calling for equality for African-Americans.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Efforts to achieve equality in education are crucial for a fair society.

Synonyms

equity
vsequality
  • Formal
46 5.3

Fair and equal treatment of people, for example at work or school

stresses fair treatment and standards rather than sameness of status or rights
parity
vsequality
26 6.5

Being equal in status, value, or function

relates more to social status rights or opportunities than to function
equivalence
vsequality
18 6.2

A situation where two things have the same value, meaning, or effect

applies to same value or effect, not specifically to social rights or opportunities
equivalency
vsequality
  • Formal
5 6.7

Being equal in value, amount, or function

refers to social status rights or opportunities rather than numeric or functional sameness
true equality
vsequality
1 4.1

A situation where everyone has the same rights and fair treatment

is the general state of same status rights or opportunities without demanding perfection
egality
vsequality
  • Archaic
9.9

A situation in which people have the same rights and status

is the broader state of having same status rights or opportunities
coequality
vsequality
8.7

A situation where people have the same status and importance

focuses more on same rights and opportunities rather than only rank or value
equitableness
vsequality
  • Formal
7.4

Fair and equal treatment of people when making decisions

focuses on fair treatment and justice rather than identical status or rights

Antonyms

183 4.2

A situation where some people have fewer rights or chances than others

Compounds

All people get the same treatment under the law

A situation where everyone has the same rights and fair treatment

A US civil rights group founded in 1942 to fight racial segregation

People have the same rights and chances

A nickname for Wyoming in the western United States

Helping people have the same rights and chances

How Equal

equality
293 2.2
parity
26 6.5

Surface Forms

equality singular
equalities plural

Morphology

equality = equal (transparent) = equal + ity

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'equal' indicating a state or quality.

Etymology

Equality comes from the old Latin word aequalis, the same root as English equal, which means 'level' or 'even'. Think of people standing on the same level, so equality is about having the same status, rights, or chances.