unevenly

Everyday

Unevenly means not in an equal or smooth way: some parts more and some less, or bumpy rather than flat. tree →

In the lessons

Used in maths: shared unevenly means the groups are not equal (not a fair share). In art and cooking: paint or butter spread unevenly. In geography: people are unevenly spread across a country.

Examples

• The sweets were shared unevenly, so some got more. tree →
• The cake cooked unevenly and was burnt on one side. tree →
• The paint was spread unevenly on the wall. tree →
• People are spread unevenly across Australia. tree →
• The table wobbled because it stood unevenly. tree →
• He breathed unevenly after the race. tree →

Note

Prefix un- + even + -ly. Opposite: evenly, equally. In maths, "shared unevenly" means the parts are not all the same size, so you cannot just divide.