fairness
- 01 B1 Intermediate
treating everyone in a way that is right, equal, and follows the rules.
the quality of being reasonable, right, and free from discrimination or bias.
Simple“The teacher showed fairness by giving every student the same amount of time for the test.”
In context“The legal system must ensure fairness in every trial, regardless of the defendant's social standing or financial resources.”
Usageoften used with the preposition 'in' regarding a specific context.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
the quality of being beautiful or having a pleasing appearance.
physical beauty or attractiveness; often used in historical or poetic contexts to describe a person's appearance.
Simple“The poet wrote many verses about the lady's great fairness and kind heart.”
In context“In the old legends, the princess was renowned throughout the kingdom for her extraordinary fairness and grace.”
Usagealmost exclusively found in pre-20th century literature or poetry.
“Osterman is a longtime labor economist and author of several previous books whose work has often focused on job quality and labor-market fairness.”
“It can contribute to chronic stress and burnout and influence how couples perceive fairness within their relationships.”
From Middle English fairness, fæȝernesse, from Old English fæġernes (“fairness; beauty; pleasantness”), equivalent to fair + -ness. Cognate with Old High German fagarnessi (“fairness”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.