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

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

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

After a stint in a Tehran prison, Iran’s judiciary commuted his sentence two years ago, and Zanjani returned to the regime’s service as their premier moneyman, the Journal previously reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 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

Congress is one of the three branches of government, alongside the presidency and the judiciary.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

But there is something magic about the rule of law in a judiciary that has had nine Justices for a century and a half.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The generation after Galileo had to acknowledge its dependence on Evidence-Indices and so, willy-nilly, it had to adopt the virtues of the judiciary.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

They were also meant to help enable independent and corruption-free judiciaries in many countries, including Venezuela.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2026

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

He also highlighted what he called "better co-operation" between the Turkish and Saudi judiciaries.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2022

“They must work constructively to resolve difficult political issues internally and with neighbors, to strengthen their multi-ethnic democracies and judiciaries, and move towards a more prosperous, integrated future,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 1, 2021

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