extrajudicial
Americanadjective
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outside of judicial proceedings; beyond the action or authority of a court.
-
beyond, outside, or against the usual procedure of justice; legally unwarranted.
an extrajudicial penalty.
adjective
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outside the ordinary course of legal proceedings
extrajudicial evidence
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beyond the jurisdiction or authority of the court
an extrajudicial opinion
Other Word Forms
- extrajudicially adverb
Etymology
Origin of extrajudicial
Explanation
Something that's extrajudicial isn't backed or upheld by the law. Taking revenge on someone instead of taking them to court is an extrajudicial punishment. If a prisoner is executed without an official trial in a court, it's extrajudicial, and if police officers shoot and kill a suspect instead of arresting him, that would also be extrajudicial. Both examples happen outside of the legal process, and without the checks and balances that the law provides. Extrajudicial comes from the Latin root words extra, "outside of," and iudicalis, "belonging to a court of justice."
Vocabulary lists containing extrajudicial
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extra-
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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.
Critics say the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings and are unnerving U.S. allies who are increasingly wary of sharing intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
The US Justice Department insists the strikes were "lawful" and rejected accusations by a senior UN official that they were "extrajudicial".
From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025
"The endless stream of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must end. It will not stop without this Court’s intervention," attorneys for Lively said.
From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025
She added that Hong Kong is "a society governed by the rule of law and no one has extrajudicial privileges".
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024
It was promptly vetoed by President Johnson as "unconstitutional," "unnecessary," and "extrajudicial," and failed of passage over the veto.
From The Souls of Black Folk by Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt)
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.
