iniquity
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
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.
Inflected forms:
form: iniquities
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: iniquitie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: Deviation from what is right; gross injustice, sin, wickedness.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: 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: [...]
If you be ſo fond ouer her iniquity, giue her patent to offend, for if it touches not you, it comes neere no body.
Beholde, he putteth no truſt in his Saints, yea, the heauens are not cleane in his ſight. How much more abominable and filthie is man, which drinketh iniquitie like water?
It will be found, when the Myſterie of iniquitie ſhall be unriddled, that, as they were their ſpawn the Anabaptiſts, the obſtructers of our Doctrinal Reformation, ſo, they are by their Miſſionaries ſent unto Corners and Hillie Countreys the obſtructers of our practical.
In the scanty number of reclaimed convicts, the noted George Barrington holds a conspicuous place. [...] His death took place nearly seven years ago: but for a considerable time previously he was in a state of insanity, produced, it is believed, by serious and sorrowful reflections on his early career of iniquity. [...] [H]is death was that of a sincere Christian.
It is one of the most surprising things that I have ever observed, That sanctity should be ashamed to look out, but iniquity show itself at noon. [...] Hence the company of rakes over their bottle, are not shy to open to another the mystery of iniquity in their most abandoned actions, and to glory in their shame.
Nekhlúdoff awoke next morning feeling as if he had been guilty of some iniquity the day before. He began considering. He could not remember having done anything wrong; he had committed no evil act, but he had had evil thoughts.
But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low.
gloss: An act of great injustice or unfairness; a sinful or wicked act; an unconscionable deed.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: For this is an heinous crime, yea, it is an iniquitie to bee puniſhed by the Judges.
[A]s for the other [goat], which was the Scape Goat, he [Aaron] was to lay his hands on the head thereof, and by a confeſſion of the iniquities of the people, to lay them all on that head, and then by ſome opportune man, to cauſe the Goat to be led into the wilderneſſe, and there to eſcape, and carry away with him the iniquities of the people.
O regard not this, 'tis an iniquity to be taken heed of, in a dark day, in a day of trouble, ſuch as was upon Job; as black a day was upon him, as ever upon any in the world, as to his perſonal condition.
As for moral Actions, a good Beginning is a great Sign of a good End; but it cannot juſtify a bad one, upon any Attempt: For there's many a holy Cheat in the World; and many an Iniquity, countenanc'd with Religion and Self-Preſervation, which is carry'd on under that Mask, to Rebellion and Murder.
I would say that Slavery was an iniquity, and ought to be abolished. I would say there was no reason nor justice in the law, or the constitution that allows one man to hold another man in bondage.
The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
Synonyms: baseness
corruption
defilement
degeneracy
degradation
depravation
depravedness
depravity
impurity
iniquity
lewdity
malignity
misdoing
misguilt
obliquity
peccability
perversion
pollution
pravity
sin
sinfulness
turpitude
vitiation
wickedness
wrongdoing
Antonyms: integrity
morality
well-doing
Related words: abyss
Derived words: den of iniquity
iniquitous
iniquitously
iniquitousness
sink of iniquity
Translations: