correctness
Americannoun
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conformity to fact or truth; freedom from error; accuracy.
The correctness of the eyewitness’s account was later called into question.
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the quality of being proper; conformity to an acknowledged or accepted standard.
We are concerned with the correctness of our probationers' conduct.
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the quality of being just or right in a judgment or opinion.
We accepted the correctness of the tribunal’s ruling.
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an indication of or adherence to a liberal or progressive ideology on matters of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ecology, etc..
A car strewn with Styrofoam cups is hardly a testimony to environmental correctness.
Etymology
Origin of correctness
First recorded in 1670–90; correct ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My father, a World War II officer and stickler for correctness, was especially proud of my medal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
In the early 1990s, the two men wrote for a campus publication, attacking what they saw as political correctness destroying American higher education.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
He also said there was a further issue about the "correctness" of new evidence provided by a very senior MI5 officer.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025
There will be no political correctness during Waters’ birthday show.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
Let’s begin with the very idea of objective correctness in language.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
