noun

parity

PA-ri-tee

Parity (noun) means the state of being equal, especially in status, pay or rights. Example: “The union is demanding pay parity with workers at the larger plants.”

noun

The state of being equal, especially in status, pay or rights.

"The union is demanding pay parity with workers at the larger plants."

"Women have still not achieved parity in senior management."

finance In finance, an exact equality of value between two currencies, or between a security's market price and a fixed reference price.

"The euro briefly fell to parity with the dollar."

technical In computing, an extra bit added to a block of data so that the total number of 1s is always odd or always even, used to detect transmission errors.

"A parity error suggests the memory module is failing."

How to Use Parity

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishWhen two things are equal to each other.

When to use it

Formal. Common in politics, economics, sport and computing.

Memory tip

Parity is uncountable in its main sense: say 'parity between the two groups', not 'a parity'.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

parody → parry → disparity →

Common pairings

pay parity gender parity reach parity parity with the dollar parity bit

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “parity” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The union is demanding pay _____ with workers at the larger plants.

Etymology

From Latin paritas, from par meaning 'equal', via French parité.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

View more →

equality equivalence par evenness

Antonyms

disparity inequality imbalance

Related Words

average difference balance comparison contrast equality par equation

Rhymes for parity

city pity deity acuity entity brevity opacity paucity ability quality reality annuity

See all rhymes for parity →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between parity and equality?

Equality is the broad principle that people or things should be treated the same. Parity is narrower and more measurable: it means two specific things have been brought to the same level, such as salaries, currency values or scores.

What does currency parity mean?

It means one unit of one currency is worth exactly one unit of another, for example one euro buying exactly one US dollar. Traders watch parity closely because it is a psychological threshold as much as an economic one.

What is a parity bit?

It is a single extra bit attached to data so the number of 1s comes out odd or even as agreed in advance. If the count is wrong when the data arrives, the receiver knows an error occurred, though it cannot tell which bit changed.

People Also Searched

average difference balance comparison contrast equality par equation