unfair

unfair — adjective

1. not giving all people the same chance, treatment, or advantage; going against wh

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

not giving all people the same chance, treatment, or advantage; going against what is morally right or acceptable.

Example

The teacher's decision to fail only Ilan seemed unfair to the rest of the class.

collocation: unfair + to + someone

Many workers believe the new policy is unfair because it cuts their pay without warning.

it + be + unfair + because-clause

Common collocations
  • unfair treatment
  • unfair advantage
  • unfair dismissal
  • unfair competition
  • unfair decision
  • deeply unfair
  • grossly unfair
Synonyms
  • unjust

    more formal and serious, often used for laws or systems

  • biased

    focuses on favouring one side without good reason

  • unequal

    emphasises lack of balance in distribution or treatment

  • discriminatory

    specifically describes treating people differently based on group identity

Antonyms
  • fair

    the direct opposite, treating everyone equally

  • just

    more formal, based on moral rightness

  • impartial

    not favouring any side

Grammar Patterns

unfair + to + someone

unfair + that-clause

unfair + noun

Usage Note

Commonly formed with more/most (more unfair, most unfair) rather than -er/-est endings, though unfairer/unfairest are occasionally used in informal British English. The correct preposition after unfair is to (unfair to someone), not for or with.

Common Mistakes

The new rule is unfair for students.
The new rule is unfair to students.
Use 'to', not 'for', after 'unfair'.
It's unfair that he got the job instead me.
It's unfair that he got the job instead of me.
'Instead of' is the correct phrase.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe situations that are not right or equal, but they differ in scope and formality. Unjust is the most formal and serious, typically applied to laws, court decisions, or systems that violate moral principles (an unjust law). Biased focuses on personal or institutional favouritism — a biased judge favours one side unfairly. Unequal is more neutral and factual, highlighting differences in amount or treatment (unequal pay, unequal access). Discriminatory is the strongest and most specific, referring to unfair treatment based on characteristics such as race, gender, or age; it often has legal implications. In everyday speech, unfair remains the broadest and most common choice, covering everything from a teacher's grading to a company policy.

unjust ↗biasedunequaldiscriminatory ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • it is unfair that
  • it would be unfair to

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the negative prefix un- (from Old English) to fair, which comes from Old English fæger, meaning 'beautiful, pleasant, or just'. The sense of 'just' or 'right' in fair developed in Old English, and unfair has carried the meaning 'not just' since the early 1600s.