What does "iniquity" mean?
Deviation from what is right; gross injustice, sin, wickedness.
Iniquity
/ɪnˈɪkwɪti/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Deviation from what is right; gross injustice, sin, wickedness.
- Grammar: iniquity is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: wickedness, evil, immorality, sin.
- Useful contrasts: integrity, morality, righteousness.
- Usage evidence: And Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was found.
How to use "iniquity"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "iniquity" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "iniquity" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Deviation from what is right; gross injustice, sin, wickedness. uncountable
"And bycauſe our auncient enemye the Deuyl, who is the well and, ſpryng of iniquitie, and is not onely hymſelfe an homycide, a lyer, and and^([sic]) hater of the truth frõ the beginnyng: [...] Therefore like as we deſyre here to be delyuered from ſynne, ſo also we deſyre, that our heauenly father will ſaue vs, and defende vs from this euil the cauſer of ſynne, that is to ſaye, the Deuyll: [...]"
- 2 an unjust act wordnet
- 3 An act of great injustice or unfairness; a sinful or wicked act; an unconscionable deed. countable
"For this is an heinous crime, yea, it is an iniquitie to bee puniſhed by the Judges."
- 4 morally objectionable behavior wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"And Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was found."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "iniquity"?
Common synonyms include: wickedness, evil, immorality, sin, wrongdoing, abomination.
How do you use "iniquity" in a sentence?
And Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was found.
How do you pronounce "iniquity"?
Pronounced /ɪnˈɪkwɪti/.
Etymology
From Middle English iniquite, jniquite (“evil, wickedness, iniquity; evil act; hostility, malevolence; hostile act; a calamity, misfortune”), from Old French iniquité (modern French iniquité (“iniquity”)), from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”), from inīquus (“unequal, uneven, unfair; disadvantageous, unfavourable; hostile, unkind; unsuitable; wicked, wrong”) + -itās (variant of -tās (suffix forming a noun indicating a state of being)). Inīquus is derived from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + aequus (“equal; fair, impartial, just”). Piecewise doublet of inequity.