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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

Dahlia Lithwick: Now that all of Gorsuch’s votes for the term are in and logged, do you feel as if you basically still understand who he is as a justice, Susan?

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

The justice secretary is expected to give a more precise figure for how many people will be affected when he gives a statement in Parliament on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

On Friday, Rodrigo announced that the festival would donate $10 million to an array of organizations working for women’s rights and reproductive justice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

She said the controversy reflected wider problems with funding across the justice system.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Is she reading from one of the justice center pamphlets, because I swear I think one of them says this word for word.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

In October 2025, the judge in a Google antitrust trial rejected the forced spinoff of Chrome sought by the Justice Department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. dissented, along with the court’s three liberals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

The Wall Street Journal has reported this group is a focus of the Justice Department probe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

In a letter to Justice Secretary Alex Norris, the families said they felt victims were "being asked to bear the consequences of the prison capacity crisis".

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Not a public library, but a private library; that is, a large collection of books belonging to Justice Strauss.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Related Words

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