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• justice
  justice

  noun

  the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.
• Justice
  Justice

  noun

  Donald, 1925–2004, U.S. poet.

justice

¹ American  

[juhs-tis] / ˈdʒʌs tɪs /

noun

• justice
  plural

1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.

   to uphold the justice of a cause.

2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason.

   to complain with justice.

3. the moral principle determining just conduct.

4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.

   Victims of rape and sexual assault have the right to the evidence they need to seek justice.

5. just treatment of all members of society with regard to a specified public issue, including equitable distribution of resources and participation in decision-making (usually used in combination).

   Environmental justice means that all people, regardless of race or income, have the right to a clean and healthy environment.

   A group of moms in the Bridgeton area are advocating for health justice for those living around the landfills.

   When we speak of climate justice, we demonstrate our sensitivity and resolve to secure the future of poor people from the perils of natural disasters.

6. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

7. the maintenance or administration of what is just by law, as by judicial or other proceedings.

   a court of justice.

8. judgment of persons or causes by judicial process.

   to administer justice in a community.

9. a judge on a higher court, especially a Supreme Court.

   the nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.

10. a minor judicial officer or magistrate.

11. Also called Justice Department.  Justice. the Department of Justice.

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idioms

1. bring to justice, to cause to come before a court for trial or to receive punishment for one's misdeeds.

   The murderer was brought to justice.

2. do justice,

   1. to act or treat justly or fairly.

   2. to appreciate properly.

      We must see this play again to do it justice.

   3. to acquit in accordance with one's abilities or potential.

      He finally got a role in which he could do himself justice as an actor.

Justice ² American  

[juhs-tis] / ˈdʒʌs tɪs /

noun

1. Donald, 1925–2004, U.S. poet.

2. a town in NE Illinois.

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justice British  

/ ˈdʒʌstɪs /

noun

1. the quality or fact of being just

2. ethics

   1. the principle of fairness that like cases should be treated alike

   2. a particular distribution of benefits and burdens fairly in accordance with a particular conception of what are to count as like cases

   3. the principle that punishment should be proportionate to the offence

3. the administration of law according to prescribed and accepted principles

4. conformity to the law; legal validity

5. a judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature

6. short for justice of the peace

7. good reason (esp in the phrase with justice )

   he was disgusted by their behaviour, and with justice

8. 1. to show to full advantage

      the picture did justice to her beauty

   2. to show full appreciation of by action

      he did justice to the meal

   3. to treat or judge fairly

9. to make full use of one's abilities

10. to capture, try, and usually punish (a criminal, an outlaw, etc)

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Justice Cultural  

1. A figure in painting and sculpture that symbolizes the impartiality of true justice. The figure of Justice usually appears as a blindfolded woman with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other.

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justice More Idioms  

1. see do justice to; miscarriage of justice; poetic justice.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• justiceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• justice
  plural

Etymology

Origin of justice

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin jūstitia, equivalent to jūst(us) just ¹ + -itia -ice

Explanation

Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Super heroes fight for justice because they want everything to be fair and not let bad guys win. Just ask Wonder Woman, Superman, or any other member of the Justice League. Justice is usually associated with the law. A judge is also known as a justice, and the point of the law is to keep everything in a society fair according to society’s rules. Justice (capital “J”) is also the statue of a blindfolded woman holding scales and a sword. If something is brought to justice, the good guys have been rewarded and the bad guys punished — the scales are even.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

justice Justice

She hopes the camp can help them avoid becoming caught in the cycle of the criminal justice system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

The organization brings together dozens of Black churches on social justice issues, including voter education.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Some also say the new Syrian government is not doing enough to bring these people to justice.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The same was true of the Supreme Court’s foundational sex discrimination cases, many of which were either litigated by Ginsburg when she was an attorney or eventually decided by her as a justice.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

Didn’t Clara deserve the kind of justice so many folks never got?

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

In January, the Justice Department announced the conviction of two Georgia inmates who ran scams on stolen cellphones from behind bars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

When the Department of Justice cleared the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger in June, Ellison passed.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

The latest costs relate to a mural depicting a judge in a wig battering a protester with his gavel, which appeared on the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 8 September 2025.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The BBC has contacted the White House and Department of Justice for comment.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The government’s engine of bureaucracy accelerated slowly, however, and although the Justice Department decided to make its move against him, it took time and approvals to decide when and where an arrest could be made.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• authority
• due process
• honesty
• integrity
• law
• right
• truth