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justice

B1
Common

Pronunciation

UK

  • /dʒˈʌstɪs/

US

  • /ˈdʒəstəs/

Meanings

Noun

  1. fairness or moral rightness in how people are treated

  2. the legal system or process of applying laws and judging wrongdoing

  3. a judge, especially one on a high court

Beyond the definition

Justice is not only about police officers and courtrooms, though it often includes them. It is the idea that people should be treated fairly and should get what they deserve, whether that means a reward for doing good or a fair result after doing wrong. Think of a time you shared a cookie equally with your sibling; that was a small act of fairness.

Justice can refer to a system, like the legal system, or to a moral idea about what is right. You might say someone "seeks justice" after being treated badly, or praise a judge for making a fair decision. Sometimes, it is about restoring balance and making things right after something has gone wrong.

Examples

  1. 1

    Crime aftermath

    The family waited years for justice after the attack.

  2. 2

    Fair result

    Many people felt the sentence was too short and that justice had not been done.

    • Phrasejustice is done

      a fair result is reached

  3. 3

    Legal punishment

    The police promised to bring the killer to justice.

    • Patternbring + person to justice

      catch and punish that person through the law

  4. 4

    Legal access

    The new law aims to improve access to justice for low-income families.

More examples
  1. 5

    Social issues

    She campaigns for social justice in housing and education.

  2. 6

    Legal system

    He studied the criminal justice system at university.

  3. 7

    Court error

    The court reopened the case because it looked like a miscarriage of justice.

    • Phrasemiscarriage of justice

      a serious wrong decision in a court case

  4. 8

    Verdict reaction

    After the verdict, his mother said, "Justice has finally been served."

    • Phrasejustice has been served

      the right legal result has happened

  5. 9

    Photography

    The photos don't do justice to the color of the sunset.

    • Patterndo justice to + thing

      show how good something really is

  6. 10

    Court title

    A Supreme Court justice wrote the main opinion.

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • social justice
  • criminal justice
  • access to justice
  • bring someone to justice

Word family

Explore

  • rule of law
  • due process

Forms and spellings

2 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • justicenoun

Forms

  • justicespluralnoun