tikkun olam

/tiˈkuːn ʌˈlɑːm/

noun

The value, prominent in Liberal Judaism, of helping and bettering society as a whole.

OriginHebrew תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם →
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Meanings

nountikkun olam (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe value, prominent in Liberal Judaism, of helping and bettering society as a whole.

    A middle-aged Jewish male searching for female companionship can place a personal ad in an Indianapolis magazine and identify himself as searching for a woman “committed to tikkun olam”.

    1989, Jacob Neusner, Ernest S. Frerichs, Nahum M. Sarna, From Ancient Israel to Modern Judaism […] , Scholars Press, →ISBN, page 51
    2 more examples

    Maybe the best form of tikkun olam is to give people freedom and free markets as opposed to more state-sponsored goodies. Freedom and free markets have worked pretty well in lifting people out of poverty, creating strong middle-class societies, and supporting great voluntary and charitable institutions.

    2012 August 29, Jeffrey Goldberg, quoting Noam Neusner, “Mitt Romney, the Tikkun Olam President?”, in The Atlantic

    And as a man who’s been inspired in my own life by that timeless calling within the Jewish experience—tikkun olam—[applause]—I am hopeful that we can draw upon what’s best in ourselves to meet the challenges that will come; to win the battles for peace in the wake of so much war; and to do the work of repairing this world.

    2013 March 21, Barack Obama, “Remarks of President Barack Obama To the People of Israel”, in The White House Office of the Press Secretary

Origin

  1. Hebrewתִּקּוּן עוֹלָם
  2. Englishtikkun olam

Borrowed from Hebrew תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם (tikún olám, literally “repairing the world”). The Hebrew phrase has been used to refer to a variety of things through Jewish history, including the elimination of idolatry.

More words from Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tikkun olam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tikkun%20olam

MLA

“tikkun olam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tikkun%20olam. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tikkun olam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tikkun%20olam.

Source: tikkun olam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.