correctness

American  

[kuh-rekt-nis] / kəˈrɛkt nɪs /

noun

1. conformity to fact or truth; freedom from error; accuracy.

   The correctness of the eyewitness’s account was later called into question.

2. the quality of being proper; conformity to an acknowledged or accepted standard.

   We are concerned with the correctness of our probationers' conduct.

3. the quality of being just or right in a judgment or opinion.

   We accepted the correctness of the tribunal’s ruling.

4. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of correctness

First recorded in 1670–90; correct ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

correctness

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

Rather than convincing me of the righteousness of this kind of believing, rather than making me certain of its correctness, it made me question, and doubt, all the more.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

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Related Words

• civility
• decency
• decorum
• fitness
• rightness

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