justice
noun
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Definition of justice
1a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments meting out justice social justice
b : judge a supreme court justice —used as a title Justice Marshall
c : the administration of law a fugitive from justice especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity a system of justice
2a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair questioned the justice of the their decision
b(1) : the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action
(2) : conformity to this principle or ideal : righteousness the justice of their cause
c : the quality of conforming to law
3 : conformity to truth, fact, or reason : correctness admitted that there was much justice in these observations— T. L. Peacock
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Synonyms & Antonyms for justice
Synonyms
detachment, disinterest, disinterestedness, equity, evenhandedness, fair-mindedness, fairness, impartiality, neutralism, neutrality, nonpartisanship, objectiveness, objectivity
Antonyms
bias, favor, favoritism, nonobjectivity, one-sidedness, partiality, partisanship, prejudice
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Examples of justice in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Especially when there is such a strong sense that justice has not been done. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "With Kavanaugh Confirmed, It’s Time to Burn It Down," 6 Oct. 2018 The irony of that—considering Ford is not up for the job of Supreme Court justice, but is still apologizing in front of America—is stunning. — Stacey Leasca, Glamour, "Christine Blasey Ford's Attempts to Make Everyone Comfortable Is a Burden Women Know Well," 28 Sep. 2018 The move by the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) to lower the retirement age of Supreme Court justices, potentially forcing out more than a third of the court, has drawn thousands of protesters in the capital. — Kristen Chick, The Christian Science Monitor, "By staying on the job, Poland's top judge fights the right-wing government," 13 July 2018 When the case reached the high court, the justices narrowly ruled that greenhouse gases were indeed pollutants. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "How the New Supreme Court Could Halt Climate Action," 12 July 2018 To drive home the point, Josh said the Lafairs would be sending their game to Supreme Court justices, state legislators and other politicians. — Fernando Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Fed up with wild districts, Texas siblings create gerrymandering board game," 10 July 2018 The liberal justice who stands in clearest opposition to this pragmatic approach is Sonia Sotomayor. — Jeffrey Rosen, WSJ, "What We Learn from Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings," 13 July 2018 The justice with the highest reported assets was Stephen Breyer, who listed between $6.4 million and $16.6 million. — Amy Brittain, courant.com, "Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh piled up credit card debt by purchasing Nationals tickets, White House says," 12 July 2018 So perhaps a litmus test for the next justice should simply be: Make him or her a middle child. — Adam Sternbergh, The Cut, "The Extinction of the Middle Child," 11 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'justice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Dictionary Entries near justice
Statistics for justice
Last Updated
17 Nov 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for justice
The first known use of justice was in the 12th century
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More Definitions for justice
justice
noun
English Language Learners Definition of justice
: the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals
: a judge in a court of law
Justice —used as a title for a judge (such as a judge of the U.S. Supreme Court)
See the full definition for justice in the English Language Learners Dictionary
justice
noun
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Kids Definition of justice
1 : fair treatment Everyone deserves justice.
3 : the process or result of using laws to fairly judge people accused of crimes
4 : the quality of being fair or just They were treated with justice.
justice
noun
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Legal Definition of justice
1a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair it is not the province of the court to decide upon the justice or injustice…of these laws — Scott v. Sanford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857)
b : the principle or ideal of just dealing also : conformity to the principle or ideal of just dealing
2a : the administration of law a fugitive from justice especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to law or equity system of justice
b : fair, just, or impartial legal process courts or tribunals…for the administration of international justice— G. R. Winters
3 : judge especially : a judge of an appellate court or court of last resort (as a supreme court) insults to particular justices and threats of civil disobedience were bandied freely — R. H. Bork
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