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Definition

Inequality Symbols in Algebra

Algebra uses five inequality symbols to compare quantities that may not be equal:

SymbolMeaning
aba \neq baa is not equal to bb
a<ba < baa is less than bb
aba \leq baa is less than or equal to bb
a>ba > baa is greater than bb
aba \geq baa is greater than or equal to bb

While the equality symbol (==) asserts that two expressions have the same value, inequality symbols describe how two values differ in size or simply state that they are not identical.

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Updated 2026-04-22

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