Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INIQUITY

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connect today's word to others: Iniquity is injustice, wickedness, harm on a grand scale. It comes from Latin roots meaning "not" and "just (fair) or equal." Even though it looks like it could mean "not equal," iniquity doesn't mean inequality. If you need a formal synonym for inequality, pick disparity. The tricky thing here is that, in recent decades, iniquity has grown to often mean "evildoing on the part of corporations, governments, and societies that results in harmful, unfair, unjust inequality." But again, iniquity is the injustice, the immorality: not the resulting lack of equality. Let's recall some synonyms for unjust, wicked, harmful, and iniquitous: 1. Something ne____ous is absolutely wicked, vicious, and evil. 2. Something fla____ous is extremely criminal or extremely wicked. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "INIQUITY" Iniquity can mean sin, wickedness, or unrighteousness. These days, it usually means wrongdoing on a large scale, the kind that's unfair and hurtful to large groups of people. Pronunciation: in NICK wid ee Part of speech: Noun, both the countable kind ("these iniquities") and the uncountable kind ("such iniquity"). Other forms: iniquities, iniquitous, iniquitously, iniquitousness How to use it: This is a formal, serious word. Although it can still describe immoral behavior that individual people do to each other and to themselves--like stealing, cheating, lying, sleeping around, drinking to excess, abusing drugs, etc.--these days it more often describes the immoral things that companies, governments, and social systems do to large groups of people at once. Notice how you can refer to that kind of wrongdoing overall as "iniquity," or refer to deeds that are harmful and wicked as "iniquities." Talk about people revealing or discovering iniquities, addressing or eliminating iniquities, committing iniquities, perpetuating iniquities, overlooking or excusing iniquities, etc. Often we follow it with "of:" "the iniquity of the situation," "the iniquities of that nation's dark history," "the iniquities of working for this soulless company." And, often we specify whose iniquity or iniquities we're talking about: "the nation's iniquity," "the iniquities of a self-serving leader." Going back to 1840, if not earlier, we've used the phrase "den of iniquity" to refer to a place or even a time period filled with rampant immoral behavior. "That bar is a den of iniquity." Here's the Washington Post: "From the Ecuadoran perspective, the U.S. in the '70s was a den of iniquity." To use the adjective, talk about iniquitous prices and policies, iniquitous opinions and beliefs, iniquitous actions (such as iniquitous imprisonments or executions), iniquitous systems and societies, etc. examples: The article lays bare the iniquity of a city that forces people to own cars when they starve just to afford them. "In essence, I'm arguing for context. You can't reasonably get upset at the machinations of coaches like Miller and excuse the broader iniquities of a system that encourages exactly this kind of graft."    — Shane Ryan, Golf Digest, 26 February 2018 study it: Explain the meaning of "iniquity" without saying "wickedness" or "evildoing." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ was priced at an iniquitous $_____." Example: "For a one-month supply, the cancer drug was priced at an iniquitous $60,000." before you review, play: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game is "TV Tropes!" This month, we're playing with tropes from TVTropes.org. TV tropes are storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.  Examples of TV tropes include "Skyward Scream," "Banister Slide," "Caught on the Jumbotron," "Burp of Finality," "City People Eat Sushi," "Dance Party Ending," "Clean Pretty Childbirth," "Come Back to Bed, Honey," "Even the Subtitler is Stumped," and tens of thousands more. Naming a trope can be a straightforward business, as in the "Skyward Scream." But often it demands precision, inviting the use of humorously sophisticated terms. Enter our Make Your Point words.  In each issue this month, consider the name of a TV trope, and try to define it or even give an example from a TV show or other work of fiction. From the previous issue: In fiction, what is the trope known as Cute but Cacophonic? Answer: It's when some dainty, adorable, or attractive character has a surprisingly loud or irritating voice. For example, in Friends, the otherwise lovely Janice has a nasal voice and a cacophonic laugh. Try this today: In fiction, what is the trope known as the Erudite Stoner? review today's word: 1. The opposite of INIQUITY is A. TRUTH. B. DECENCY. C. CONSISTENCY. 2. Citing the "iniquities...of driving for Uber," Julia Carry Wong at The Guardian pointed out that Uber _____. A. employs many full-time drivers who used to work for taxi companies B. withdraws from certain cities altogether when it cannot afford to do business there C. offers higher pay rates during union meetings to discourage drivers from unionizing Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. C