adjudication
Americannoun
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an act of adjudicating.
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Law.
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the act of a court in making an order, judgment, or decree.
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a judicial decision or sentence.
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a court decree in bankruptcy.
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Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing adjudication
Among the Hidden
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United States v. Nixon (1974)
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Red Kayak
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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.
They will report those to a student-run honor committee for adjudication.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
But, as D’Souza rather proudly observes, the adjudication process is stripped of the inconvenience of courts: “The Gawker litigation took ten years and millions of dollars. Objection industrializes this process.”
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
The Tesla case also subtly revealed how certain corporate-governance ideas long debated in academic circles but rarely used in practice have begun to influence the Delaware courts’ adjudication.
From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026
It said that in 24% of cases, the adjudication actually increased the rent by a higher amount than the landlord's original proposal.
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2025
But within a year, California probation authorities ordered him to return to Los Angeles because he was on probation following his adjudication as a ward of the court for a prior offense.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions 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.
