Equitable

adjective

/ˈekwɪtəbl/

Fair and reasonable; dealing justly and impartially with everyone, often in a way that accounts for and offsets existing disparities rather than treating all identically.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A genuinely equitable system of resource devolution must look beyond arithmetic equality and weight allocations towards the most backward districts, so that fiscal federalism narrows rather than entrenches regional disparities.

Synonyms

fairjustimpartialeven-handedunbiasedfair-minded

Antonyms

inequitableunfairunjustpartial

🌱 Word Family

equitably (adv), equitableness (n), inequitable (adj), inequitably (adv)

🔡 Root

Latin aequitātem = equality, fairness; aequus = even, just, equal; French équitable; -able suffix

📜 Etymology

From French équitable (16c.), from équité ("equity"), from Latin aequitatem (nominative aequitas) "equality, fairness," from aequus "even, just, equal." Attested in English from the 1640s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think EQUITY + -able: that which is "able to give everyone their fair share" rests on the Latin aequus, "even, equal" the same root as "equal" and "equator", the line that divides the globe evenly.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Mains 2017 · GS4 · 10 marks — Social Justice / Development Ethics

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Equitable” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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