do justice to
Idioms-
Treat fairly or adequately, with full appreciation, as in That review doesn't do the play justice . This expression was first recorded in John Dryden's preface to Troilus and Cressida (1679): “I cannot leave this subject before I do justice to that Divine Poet.”
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do oneself justice . Execute in accordance with one's abilities, as in She finally got a position in which she could do herself justice . [Second half of 1800s]
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.
However, I can say Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas do justice to their modernized versions of Christie’s power couple Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Words can’t really do justice to the profound musical depths Henry plumbs in this searing revival of “Ragtime,” directed by Lear deBessonet for Lincoln Center Theatre.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
In any event, it is impossible to do justice to the collection, which ranges over millennia, primarily from 3000 B.C. to A.D.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
A 12-point lead did not do justice to their performance.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
“You have only proved by this,” cried Elizabeth, “that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shown him off now much more than he did himself.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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.
