Fairmindedness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of having an unbiased perspective, the capacity to evaluate differing opinions fairly, and the trait of exercising justice and equity in decision-making is essential for effective discourse
2. Possessing an even-handed attitude, being able to objectively assess various viewpoints, and demonstrating a sense of fairness and balance in judgments is vital to constructive dialogue
3. The quality of treating all sides equally and making decisions without favoritism

Etymology: Fairmindedness is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins "fairminded," meaning open-minded and impartial, with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective itself is built from "fair" and "minded," the latter meaning inclined in a particular way of thinking, so the whole word literally describes a mind that is disposed toward fairness. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ness" is one of the oldest and most productive noun-forming endings in English, traceable to Old English, and it can be attached to nearly any adjective whose meaning names a quality. That is why speakers can form new abstract nouns like this one on demand, without needing a separate dictionary entry for each quality they want to name.

Synonyms: impartiality, equity

Antonyms: bias, partiality