judiciary

American  

[joo-dish-ee-er-ee, -dish-uh-ree] / dʒuˈdɪʃ iˌɛr i, -ˈdɪʃ ə ri /

noun

• judiciaries
  plural

1. the judicial branch of government.

2. the system of courts of justice in a country.

3. judges collectively.

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adjective

1. pertaining to the judicial branch or system or to judges.

judiciary British  

/ dʒuːˈdɪʃɪərɪ, -ˈdɪʃərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to courts of law, judgment, or judges

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noun

1. the branch of the central authority in a state concerned with the administration of justice Compare executive legislature

2. the system of courts in a country

3. the judges collectively; bench

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subjudiciary
  adjective
• judiciarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• judiciaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of judiciary

First recorded in 1580–90; originally an adjective, from Latin jūdiciārius “of the law courts,” equivalent to jūdici(um) “judgment” + -ārius adjective suffix; see judge, -ary

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Explanation

The courts and the people who run them — particularly judges — make up the judiciary. Get caught painting graffiti on the courthouse? You just might find yourself facing the judiciary. Another way to say judiciary is "judicial system." It's where you go with a legal dispute, whether you're divorcing someone, suing someone, or accusing someone of a crime. The Latin root is judicium, or "judgment," which is exactly the job of the judiciary: to sit in judgment of people by interpreting the law and then applying it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

judiciary judiciaries

But reforming the judiciary, prosecution service and regulatory agencies might prove harder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

The interim government has recently held multiple rounds of negotiations with a faction of the opposition, which has led to an agreement to reform the judiciary but not yet set a date for new elections.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

But sometimes the law Congress enacts explicitly directs the judiciary to defer to the views of federal agencies who have studied a difficult problem and made evidence-based recommendations.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

He said there were "many serious questions" for the Prison Service and Stormont's departmental solicitors' office, as well as the judiciary.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

They had judiciary powers, and could act as judges in both the religious and secular courts.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The ICJ and other international tribunals consider whether countries have their own independent judiciaries in deciding on whether to intervene.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024

The legal battle has been cited in two think tank reports as an example of the regime’s use of foreign judiciaries to attain its ends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Diversity matters on the federal and state judiciaries for a whole host of reasons, chief among them, that such diversity determines whose stories are told in court and how.

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2022

A retired Colorado federal bankruptcy judge, Sid Brooks, who once helped train Russian judges about independent judiciaries, said he knew Palmieri from events at the consulate.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2022

First, Europeans have for thousands of years been living in densely populated societies with central governments, police, and judiciaries.

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

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