I. “+ adjective
1.
a. : not of the same measurement, quantity, amount, or number as another : unlike
cutting planks of unequal length
unequal amounts of butter
classes of unequal size
unequal costs
b. : not like or not the same as another in degree, worth, quality, ability, or status
two machines operating at unequal speeds
several pieces of unequal workmanship
men of unequal capacity
statistics … unequal in value — Geographical Journal
poems … of widely unequal merit — College English
c. archaic : odd — used of numbers
2.
a. : not like or not the same for each member of a group or class
unequal chances for success
b. : not uniform in quantity or quality, measure or degree : variable , irregular , uneven
unequal pulsations
unequal and different movements of the heavenly bodies — Benjamin Farrington
a most unequal writer — Times Literary Supplement
c. : showing variation in appearance, structure, or proportion
the tips of the unequal towers — Janet Flanner
d. : not level : rugged
an unequal surface
3.
a. : badly balanced or matched : uneven
unequal odds
an unequal fight
farmers were ready to abandon their unequal struggle with a stubborn soil — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
b. : contracted between unequals
unequal marriages
unequal treaties
an unequal match
c. archaic : not equable : intemperate
her spirits … were more disturbed, more unequal , than she had often seen them — Jane Austen
4.
a. archaic : not equitable : unjust , unfair
to punish me for what you made me do seems much unequal — Shakespeare
b. obsolete : acting unfairly : partial
an unequal parent — Matthew Prior
5. : incapable of meeting the requirements of a situation or task : inadequate , insufficient — usually used with to
unequal to the pace
a mere politician will prove unequal to the position
timber unequal to the strain
felt unequal to the coming interview
they were unequal to the wild country — Emil Lengyel
II. noun
1. : one that is not equal to or not on a basis of equality with another — usually used in plural
a comparison of unequals
a society of unequals — Walter Moberly
2. : a mathematical quantity that is either less or greater than another
if unequals are added to unequals in the same order, the sums are unequal in the same order
III. adverb
archaic : unequally
match'd — Shakespeare