Etymologically
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unfair

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:10. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/, /ʌnˈfɛː(ɹ)/ (UK); /ʌnˈfɛɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from un- and fair.[2][3] Old English had unfæger (“unlovely, ugly”), from the older sense of fair, and this sense persisted into Middle English.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not equitable or impartial, unjust: 1713, in Berkeley;[2][5] MWU dates it to 1700.[3] The older sense, not beautiful, is from about 888 and obsolete.[5]

Semantic evolution

Wicked or evil is an obsolete Middle English sense.[5] Of persons and their minds it is from 1724.[5] Of the wind, unfavourable, is from 1801.[5] Of an employer, not paying the usual wages, is from 1886,[5] and unfair competition and unfair dismissal are legal uses.[5][6] Shakespeare used a verb unfair, to deprive of beauty.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 888 – not beautiful (obsolete).[5]
  • 1713 – unjust.[2][5]
  • 1801 – of the wind, unfavourable.[5]
  • 1886 – not paying the usual wages.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Not based on or behaving according to the principles of equality and justice.
  2. Not following the rules of a game or sport.

Word family

  • unfairly
  • unfairness
  • unfair competition

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press