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. )

Example Sentences

He also said there was a further issue about the "correctness" of new evidence provided by a very senior MI5 officer.

From BBC

She said actions to address harassment and violence against women, and other groups facing discrimination were increasingly perceived as political correctness.

From BBC

The tunes are all exuberant, and even with a new era of political correctness, never offensive.

From Los Angeles Times

"I have seen the arguments in the papers by some lawyers regarding the correctness of some civilians being tried in the Court Martial," President Museveni said in a long post on X.

From BBC

Comedy led the backlash against political correctness, which Lindy West astutely defined in a 2015 Guardian column as a fancy term for “not treating people who are already treated like garbage like garbage.”

From Salon

Related Words

• civility
• decency
• decorum
• fitness
• rightness