noun
-
the condition or practice of being unjust or unfair
-
an unjust act
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of injustice
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin injūstitia; equivalent to in- 3 + justice
Compare meaning
How does injustice compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Life isn’t fair, and that quality is exactly what defines injustice: something unfair that happens, often in violation of a basic human right. In the early 19th century in the United States, women could not legally vote, but they fought back against this injustice and eventually won voting rights. The word comes from a Latin phrase that literally means “not right,” and injustice is the opposite of justice, which is a fair and righteous act. Injustice can be general or specific, like the injustice suffered by poor people everywhere, or an individual act of injustice committed by some unkind person.
Vocabulary lists containing injustice
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She said she shared the family's concern that just over six years in custody failed to "reflect the seriousness of what Dolars did or the injustice they have endured".
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026
King Charles III called the transatlantic slave trade "a monstrous injustice" Tuesday, opening a Commonwealth summit in which UK leader Andy Burnham is holding talks about apologising for Britain's role in slavery.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
"I am being punished for not only supporting my wife's work and activism, but for choosing this path of resisting injustice as our life journey together," Chatta said in his statement to Dawn News.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
I’m going to respond the same way to harassment and perceived injustice as I would any other space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
After centuries of misery, slavery, injustice, and foreign interference, the people of Haiti had claimed their country.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
"Her life's work was to empower her community to face and overcome injustices, and she has left farm workers and the entire Latino community stronger and more organised than she found it," the UFW said.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
In December 2025, a Finnish a truth and reconciliation commission called on Finland to rectify injustices committed against the indigenous Sami people.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
“And naive. Because, we thought, ‘These injustices are so great, surely if we just explain them to people, they will want to fix them.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
An official inquiry found the National Coal Board was responsible for the Aberfan disaster, but survivors and bereaved families have long pointed to a litany of injustices.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The parents were too American, too aware of the rights granted them by their Constitution to accept injustices meekly.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
