fair ‧ ness /ˈfeərnəs, ˈfeərnɪs $ ˈfer-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ fairly ≠ ↑ unfairly , ↑ fair ; noun : ↑ fairness ≠ ↑ unfairness ; adjective : ↑ fair ≠ ↑ unfair ]
1 . the quality of being fair:
the basic fairness of the judicial system
2 . in fairness (to somebody) used after you have just criticized someone, in order to add something that explains their behaviour or performance SYN to be fair :
Tardelli had a poor match, although in fairness he was playing with a knee injury.