How to Say "Unfair" in German

unfair

/ˈʊnˌfɛːr/

The English phrase 'unfair' can be translated into German as unfair or ungerecht.

Meaning: not fair (adj)

Ways to say it

“unfair” in German
German	IPA
unfair	/ˈʊnˌfɛːr/
ungerecht

Both terms are used to describe something that is not fair.

While unfair is common in everyday speech, ungerecht is used when discussing matters of justice, morality or legal fairness.

When used as an attributive adjective before a feminine noun, unfair takes the ending '-e', as in eine unfaire Entscheidung (an unfair decision).

/ˈʊnˌfɛːr/

The word gerecht comes from the Old High German girihht, which originally meant 'straight' or 'direct'. To be fair in German is historically to be 'straight'.
While unfair is perfectly understood, using it to describe a serious moral wrong might make you sound more like a teenager than an adult.
A common way to express that someone is being 'unfairly treated' is to say they are being benachteiligt, which literally means 'disadvantaged'.

Es ist so unfair.
It's so unfair.
This sentence shows how to use unfair to express that a situation is unfair.
Tatoeba #8056553 by Luiaard, translation #2249282 by CK
Das war echt unfair.
This was really unfair.
This sentence demonstrates the use of unfair to describe a past event.
Tatoeba #7192403 by Luiaard, translation #4494448 by CK
Tom war nicht unfair.
Tom wasn't unfair.
This sentence shows the negation of unfair.
Tatoeba #6625209 by Felixjp, translation #6358224 by CK
Sie haben eine ungerechte Behandlung erfahren.
You have experienced unfair treatment.
Die Entscheidung führte zu einer unfairen Benachteiligung der armen Bevölkerung.
The decision resulted in unfair disadvantage for the poor population.
Das ist voll ungerecht!
That's totally unfair!
Die Entscheidung bringt alles in eine Schieflage.
The decision puts everything into an unfair position.
61 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hannah and Julian are discussing a grade they received.

Sources

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