It is also one of the most stretched.
Tikkun olam is often translated as repairing the world
Britannica explains that tikkun olam is generally translated as healing or repairing the world and that it has carried several meanings across roughly two thousand years.
That history matters because the phrase did not begin as a generic modern slogan.
In modern usage it often points to social responsibility
Britannica notes that contemporary Jewish discussions use tikkun olam to describe efforts to reduce suffering and confront problems such as injustice, human rights abuses, environmental crisis, and antisemitism.
This is the sense most people mean today.
The phrase can inspire, but it can also blur
Because tikkun olam is so broad, it can become vague unless paired with actual obligations, institutions, or practices such as tzedakah, mutual aid, advocacy, or communal responsibility.
Why it still matters
Tikkun olam still matters because it gives Jewish ethical language a public-facing form. It says the world is not simply to be endured. It is to be repaired where possible.
The shortest accurate answer
Tikkun olam is the Jewish idea often translated as repairing the world, now widely used to describe social responsibility and moral action in public life.