noun
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the condition or practice of being unjust or unfair
-
an unjust act
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of injustice
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin injūstitia; equivalent to in- 3 + justice
Compare meaning
How does injustice compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Life isn’t fair, and that quality is exactly what defines injustice: something unfair that happens, often in violation of a basic human right. In the early 19th century in the United States, women could not legally vote, but they fought back against this injustice and eventually won voting rights. The word comes from a Latin phrase that literally means “not right,” and injustice is the opposite of justice, which is a fair and righteous act. Injustice can be general or specific, like the injustice suffered by poor people everywhere, or an individual act of injustice committed by some unkind person.
Vocabulary lists containing injustice
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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.
See Examples For:
The unfortunate reality is that nearly every period of injustice the U.S. has experienced has come at the expense of human lives.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Brown decision was “a historic step forward” but it “just a beginning” in the fight against entrenched racial injustice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Shouldn’t the ASA and its individual members similarly deploy their research to inveigh against injustice and advance social change?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
After the game manager Hossam Hassan said Egypt had been "treated unfairly" and "suffered injustice".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Richard had told them that a country born from the ashes of injustice would limit its practice of injustice.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What 250 years means: 250 years of America is joy, devastation, pain, suffering, growing pains, heartache, injustices, tears, happiness, growth, homesteading lifestyle, culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
He suggested there could be common ground, pointing to "historical injustices" surrounding the British Steel pension scheme, which he said his party would "like to help you sort out".
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Societal injustices were not much remarked upon, according to Messrs. McKean and Bennett.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The injustices of the Treaty of Versailles for another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
We spent that whole February talking about the injustices we black people suffered every day in Montgomery—it was total immersion.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
