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Synonyms

unjustly

American  
[uhn-juhst-lee] / ʌnˈdʒʌst li /

adverb

  1. in a way that is not deserved; unfairly.

    Even if the feedback you receive is unjustly harsh, it is still important that you respond in a friendly and professional way.

Etymology

Origin of unjustly

unjust ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Filming in a constricting boxy aspect ratio, the Ukrainian director takes us inside a corroding prison filled with men unjustly incarcerated as enemies of the state.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“Some stocks have been unjustly accused in the court of investor opinion.”

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

The then Lord Chief Justice eventually stopped the pursuit of some journalists , saying they were being unjustly treated like criminal conspirators, concluding the law was ancient and difficult.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

“I’ve been a victim of fashion, unjustly applying berry passion,” goes the final refrain.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

Boethius, the late Roman who had written the Consolatione while unjustly imprisoned by the emperor, had said that a blind goddess spins us on a wheel, that our luck comes in cycles.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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.