fairness
Americannoun
-
the state, condition, or quality of being fair, or free from bias or injustice; evenhandedness.
I have to admit, in all fairness, that she would only be paid for part of the work.
-
the quality of being light of hair or complexion.
Due to the fairness of her skin, she had to wear extra sunscreen even in the winter.
One of the traits that he got from his father was the fairness of his hair.
Etymology
Origin of fairness
Explanation
Fairness is the quality of making judgments that are free from discrimination. Judges, umpires, and teachers should all strive to practice fairness. Fairness comes from the Old English fæger, meaning "pleasing, attractive." This makes sense given that the word is also used to describe physical beauty. Fairness can refer to someone's good looks, or if someone is very pale and blond, you might notice the fairness of her complexion. When someone shows fairness is making a decision, he is pleasing all parties involved and offering a solution that is attractive to everyone.
Vocabulary lists containing fairness
Journalism
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The Suffix -ness, Part 2
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"CLEP Principles of Management," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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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.
The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the move over a practice it said conlifted with "human dignity, fairness, and the values enshrined in our Constitution."
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
If you have more than one child, don’t confuse equality with fairness.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
And, in fairness, the then 22-year-old swotted up sufficiently by the time he received the award, reeling off a list of previous winners.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
However, a longtime champion of admissions policies that rely on social and economic fairness said he hoped the court would side with Montgomery County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
In South Africa, to merely achieve fairness, one had to destroy apartheid itself, for it was the very embodiment of injustice.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
