An inequality, like an equation, is a mathematical statement that compares two quantities. An inequality contains the symbols $<,$ $>,$ $\le ,$ or $\ge .$ There are several ways each inequality can be phrased.

Inequality Symbol	Key Phrases
$<$	$$\begin{array}{rl}& \bullet \text{ is less than}\\ & \bullet \text{ is fewer than}\end{array}$$
$>$	$$\begin{array}{rl}& \bullet \text{ is greater than}\\ & \bullet \text{ is more than}\end{array}$$
$\le$	$$\begin{array}{rl}& \bullet \text{ is less than or equal to}\\ & \bullet \text{ is at most}\\ & \bullet \text{ is no more than}\end{array}$$
$\ge$	$$\begin{array}{rl}& \bullet \text{ is greater than or equal to}\\ & \bullet \text{ is at least}\\ & \bullet \text{ is no less than}\end{array}$$

With an inequality, it is possible to compare any combination of two numbers, variables, numeric expressions, or algebraic expressions.

Symbol	Example	Meaning
$<$	$x<1$	The variable $x$ is less than $1.$
$\le$	$x+1\le \text{-}3$	The algebraic expression $x+1$ is less than or equal to $\text{-}3.$
$>$	$2x-5>5$	The expression $2x-5$ is greater than $5.$
$\ge$	$x\ge 2x+1$	The variable $x$ is greater than or equal to the expression $2x+1.$

As shown in the table, some inequalities indicate that the two quantities are not necessarily equal, whereas others indicate that they are strictly never equal.