Justness
What it means
The quality of being fair, morally right, and properly grounded.
Reach for it when evaluating the justice of a cause, arrangement, or decision
Few doubted the justness of providing clean water to every home.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
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| literary |
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everyday
Fits when the standard established noun names fair treatment and rights
Careful Justice is broader, while justness evaluates the quality of a particular thing.
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warm
Fits when balanced treatment should sound natural
Careful Fairness can concern procedure without the moral weight of justness.
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professional
Fits when fair outcomes account for different circumstances
Careful Equity is a principle of distribution, not every aspect of justness.
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professional
Fits when authority or process is accepted as valid
Careful A legitimate decision can still produce an unjust result.
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formal
moral soundness
Fits when explicit ethical evaluation is preferable to the rare noun
Careful Moral soundness is clearer but excludes legal or procedural dimensions.
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literary
rightness
Fits when moral correctness is the direct quality under discussion
Careful Rightness can sound absolute and may ignore competing legitimate values.
Opposites 3
- injustice
- unfairness
- wrongness
Common phrases 3
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justness of the cause
The justness of the cause does not excuse careless tactics.
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question the justness
Residents may question the justness of a fee that excludes low-income users.
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sense of justness
Transparent appeals strengthened the process's sense of justness.
Word family 2
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Justness is less idiomatic than justice or fairness. It is useful when the quality of a specific decision or cause is being assessed.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Steve Shives, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated