unfair

Sayun-FAIR/ʌnˈfɛɚ/UK/ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/

5 meanings of unfair

1
adjective
Treating someone in a way that is wrong or not equal.
Like a game where one player gets extra turns and the other does not.
It is unfair that she was punished for something her brother did.
The other team got extra time, and we all thought that was unfair.
Similarunjust, inequitable, biased, discriminatory, unreasonable
Oppositefair, just, equitable
Note
2
adjectivearchaic
Not beautiful and not nice to look at.
In the old story, the prince passed by the unfair sister and chose the beautiful one.
Hard years in the fields had made her face unfair, but her eyes were kind.
Note
3
adjectivearchaic
Not proper, and bringing shame to the person who does it.
The whole village called his drunken shouting in church unfair and shameful.
It was unfair behavior to laugh during the funeral, and his mother scolded him for it.
Note

Less common meanings

4
adjectiveobsolete
Feeling or showing deep sadness and sorrow.
Note
5
verbobsoletetransitive
To make a person or thing ugly.
In the fairy tale, the witch tried to unfair the queen's lovely face with a spell.
Those hours that with gentle work did frame / The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell / Will play the tyrants to the very same / And that unfair which fairly doth excel.
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 5”Here, unfair means make ugly, spoiling what is beautiful.
Note

Use it in a sentence

Write your own sentence with unfair, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.

Origin

From an old English word meaning "ugly." It is made of un- plus fair.