What does evenhandedly mean?
Evenhandedly is an adverb describing action performed with fairness and impartiality, without favoring one side over another. It derives from "evenhanded," an adjective that figuratively imagines fairness as a state of balance — as though one's hands were held level rather than tilted toward one party or the other. The word is most at home in contexts where judgment matters: courts, newsrooms, workplaces, refereeing, criticism, and mediation all call for decisions made evenhandedly. To say a manager handles disputes evenhandedly, for example, is to praise their consistency and freedom from bias. The adverb carries a positive connotation, signaling integrity and evenness of temper, and it pairs naturally with verbs like treat, apply, act, rule, and judge. British English often prefers the hyphenated spelling "even-handedly," while American English typically writes it closed. Related forms include the adjective "evenhanded" and the noun "evenhandedness."
adverbIn a manner that is fair and impartial, giving equal treatment to all parties involved; without favoritism or bias.
- In a fair and impartial manner, treating all parties equally without favoritism.
"The judge ruled evenhandedly, giving both sides an equal opportunity to present their case."
"The referee called the match evenhandedly, penalizing infractions on both teams without hesitation."
"A good editor reads every submission evenhandedly, judging each manuscript purely on its merits."
"Even" + "hand" + "-ed" — literally meaning both hands are level, this word paints fairness as a physical act of balance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evenhandedly
Evenhandedly is built transparently from native English parts: "even" (from Old English "efn," meaning level or equal) combined with "hand" (Old English "hand") to form the adjective "evenhanded," which emerged in English around the early 17th century with the figurative sense of impartial. Adding the adverbial suffix "-ly" produced "evenhandedly." All of its components are Germanic in origin, making it a thoroughly homegrown English formation rather than a borrowing from Latin or French, unlike many near-synonyms such as "impartially."
Related word forms
How evenhandedly is actually used
The word is neutral to formal in register and appears most often in contexts involving judgment, law, journalism, criticism, or administration. It is often written as two hyphenated words ("even-handedly") in British English, while American English tends to prefer the closed form "evenhandedly."
Easily confused with evenhandedly
Heavy-handedly means doing something in a clumsy or overly forceful way, whereas evenhandedly means doing it fairly and without bias.