adjudication

American  

[uh-joo-di-key-shuhn] / əˌdʒu dɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• adjudications
  plural

1. an act of adjudicating.

2. Law.

   1. the act of a court in making an order, judgment, or decree.

   2. a judicial decision or sentence.

   3. a court decree in bankruptcy.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonadjudication
  noun
• readjudication
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adjudications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of adjudication

First recorded in 1685–95, adjudication is from the Late Latin word adjūdicātiōn- (stem of adjūdicātiō ). See adjudicate, -ion

Explanation

After a long court trial, the judge reviews all the evidence to come to a conclusion about a case and that process is called adjudication. Adjudication comes from the Old French ajugier meaning "to judge, pass judgment on." An adjudication results in a formal judgment or decision given by a court. Often these adjudications lead to the making of history, like the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka trial in which the process of adjudication resulted in a decision that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adjudication adjudications

“Today’s decision merely postpones adjudication of those challenges,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in one dissent, joined by Justice Elena Kagan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

They function like mental health diversion courts, suspending adjudication of qualifying crimes while veterans receive treatment, often at the VA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Congress can instead assign them to an agency for initial adjudication, subject to judicial review.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2025

Social Security Administration spokesman Barton Mackey said the agency is working on plans to “propose improvements to the disability adjudication process to ensure our disability program remains current and can be more efficiently administered.”

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2025

He developed superior centralized conflict resolution by expanding the adjudication of quarrels.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present for the commission to engage in rulemaking, issue final decisions in adjudications, initiate enforcement actions, and otherwise conduct business.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Fifa said it "is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications".

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

"USCIS's hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong; rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth," the judge said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

“Today’s FTC can bring civil enforcement suits against private parties, promulgate binding rules, issue final orders in administrative adjudications, and investigate potential violations of the law.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

Prince Franz, to his last day, refused to speak again on the subject; judiciously repentant, we can fancy, of having spoken at all, and brought such a matter into the streets and their pie-powder adjudications.

From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 18 by Thomas Carlyle