► unfairnot right, acceptable, or reasonable, especially because some people are treated better than others: These laws are aimed at preventing unfair competition (=in business).
► not fair unfair: It’s not fair that Dale gets to go and I don’t.
► unreasonable unfair or asking someone to do too much: It is unreasonable of your boss to expect you do all the work by yourself.
► unequal unfair because because some people are treated better than others: The law was designed to end the unequal treatment of women in the workplace.
► biased treating one person or group unfairly because you think one is better than the other: The judge was biased against him, so he didn’t get a fair trial.
► unjust formal not fair or morally right. Used about laws, systems, or actions: The laws were unjust because they did not allow blacks to go to the same schools as white people.
► arbitrary formal seeming unfair because decisions or rules are not made in a reasonable way, or are not always made in the same way: The coach’s decisions about who would go on the team seemed arbitrary – one of the best players didn’t make it!