justice

IPA/ˈdʒʌstɪs/
KK[dʒˈʌstəs]IPA/ˈdʒʌstɪs/

justice — noun

  • justicesingular
  • justicesplural

1. the quality of treating people in a way that is fair and morally right, especial

1.nounB1
Definition

the quality of treating people in a way that is fair and morally right, especially by giving each person what they deserve without favouring one side over another

Example

Reema's parents taught her that justice means treating everyone the same, regardless of their background.

justice + means + gerund — definition pattern

The committee's decision to award the prize to both students was an act of justice.

collocation: an act of justice

Common collocations
  • social justice
  • racial justice
  • economic justice
  • sense of justice
  • act of justice
  • simple justice
  • bring justice to
  • demand justice
Synonyms
  • fairness

    more general and less formal; justice implies a moral or legal principle, while fairness suggests even-handed treatment in everyday situations

  • equity

    more formal, often used in legal or economic contexts to mean fairness based on what is deserved

  • impartiality

    focuses on not favouring any side; used especially in formal or official contexts

Antonyms
  • injustice

    the opposite — lack of fairness or an unfair situation

  • unfairness

    more general and less formal than injustice

Grammar Patterns

justice + requires + that-clause

bring + justice + to + noun phrase

social / racial / economic + justice

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable — do not use with 'a' ('a justice' means a judge, not fairness). Common in fixed phrases like 'do justice to something' and 'do yourself justice' (see idioms below).

Common Mistakes

The judge showed a great justice in her decision.
The judge showed great justice in her decision.
justice is uncountable in this sense; no article needed.
I want a justice for everyone.
I want justice for everyone.
no article before uncountable 'justice'.

2. the system of courts, laws, and officials that a country uses to judge whether s

2.nounB2
Definition

the system of courts, laws, and officials that a country uses to judge whether someone has broken the law and to decide on a punishment

Example

Christopher was determined to bring the thief to justice, no matter how long it took.

idiom: bring [someone] to justice

After a trial lasting two years, Wren finally felt that justice had been served.

fixed phrase: justice was / had been served

Common collocations
  • criminal justice
  • justice system
  • bring to justice
  • justice is served
  • justice is done
  • miscarriage of justice
  • delivery of justice
  • international justice
  • court of justice
  • obstruction of justice
Synonyms
  • law

    broader — refers to the whole system of rules; justice focuses on the process of enforcing those rules fairly

  • judiciary

    more formal and specific — refers to the judges and courts as an institution

Antonyms
  • crime

    what the justice system exists to deal with; not a direct antonym but opposite in outcome

Grammar Patterns

justice + is + served/done

the + justice + system

bring + someone + to + justice

Usage Note

Frequently appears in fixed phrases: 'bring someone to justice' (arrest and try), 'justice is served/done' (the legal system has worked correctly), 'miscarriage of justice' (a wrong legal outcome). Also uncountable — never 'a justice' to mean the legal system.

Common Mistakes

He escaped from a justice.
He escaped from justice.
no article needed before 'justice' in this sense.
The justice in this country is slow.
The justice system in this country is slow.
use 'justice system' to refer to the institutions.

3. a judge, especially one who works in a higher court such as a Supreme Court, who

3.nounB2
Definition

a judge, especially one who works in a higher court such as a Supreme Court, whose job is to hear serious legal cases and make official decisions

Example

The justice asked the lawyers several questions before the court took a short break.

After thirty years as a lawyer, Mert became a justice of the Supreme Court.

collocation: justice of the [court name]

Common collocations
  • justice of the Supreme Court
  • appoint a justice
  • Supreme Court justice
  • associate justice
  • chief justice
  • presiding justice
Synonyms
  • judge

    general term for any court official; 'justice' is used specifically for higher courts in the US and as a title in the UK

  • magistrate

    handles minor cases in lower courts; less senior than a justice

Grammar Patterns

a + justice + of + the + [court name]

Usage Note

Countable — 'a justice', 'two justices'. In American English, 'justice' is the standard term for a Supreme Court judge. In British English, 'judge' is more common for most courts, while 'Justice' (with a capital J) is used as a title for High Court judges (see sense 4 below). 'Justice of the Peace' is a lower-level official in both varieties.

Common Mistakes

The justice system appointed a new judge.
The Supreme Court appointed a new justice.
'justice system' is the system, not the institution that appoints justices.

4. a formal title placed before a senior judge's surname to indicate that they serv

4.nounC1
Definition

a formal title placed before a senior judge's surname to indicate that they serve on a High Court or Court of Appeal

Example

The case was heard by Justice Okonkwo in the Court of Appeal last Tuesday.

usage: Justice + surname as formal title

Justice Rodriguez wrote a detailed opinion explaining the court's decision on the matter.

Common collocations
  • Justice Okonkwo
  • Justice Rodriguez
  • The Honourable Justice
  • Mr Justice
  • Ms Justice
  • Lord Justice

Grammar Patterns

Justice + [surname]

The Honourable Justice + [surname]

Usage Note

Always used with a surname, never a given name alone. In formal writing, the full style is 'The Honourable Justice [Surname]'. Verbally, judges are addressed as 'My Lord' or 'My Lady' (in the UK High Court) or simply 'Your Honour' (in Commonwealth countries). In the US, this title is not used — judges are called 'Judge [Surname]'.

Common Mistakes

Justice Paul spoke to the media.' (when referring to a US judge)
Judge Paul spoke to the media.
'Justice' as a title is not used for US trial judges.
Idioms

do justice to something / somebody

idiom

to show or represent someone or something in a way that is as good, beautiful, or impressive as they really are

The photograph really does justice to the beautiful colours of the sunset over the ocean.

Heloísa felt that her short report could not do justice to the complexity of the problem.

do yourself justice

idiom

to perform as well as you are able to, especially in a test or competition, so that people can see your true ability

Andrés was so nervous during the interview that he did not do himself justice.

To do yourself justice in the exam, Evelyn made sure to get enough sleep the night before.

bring someone to justice

idiom

to arrest someone who has committed a crime and put them on trial in a court of law

The police worked for years to bring the escaped prisoner to justice.

New DNA evidence helped the authorities bring the suspect to justice after twelve years.

pervert the course of justice

idiom

to deliberately do something dishonest, such as destroying evidence or threatening a witness, in order to prevent the police or court from finding out the truth about a crime

He was charged with perverting the course of justice after he burned the documents.

Threatening a witness is a serious crime that amounts to perverting the course of justice.

bring somebody to justice

idiom

To capture someone who has committed a crime and make them face a legal trial.

The police worked hard to bring the thief to justice.

Will the new evidence help bring the suspect to justice?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Justice, fairness, equity, and impartiality all describe the idea of treating people rightly, but they differ in scope and setting. Justice is the broadest term — it covers both moral rightness ('a sense of justice') and the legal system ('criminal justice'). Fairness is the most everyday word, used for small-scale situations like sharing food or following game rules. Equity is more formal and often appears in legal, economic, or academic contexts; it emphasises giving people what they need to reach a fair outcome, not just the same treatment. Impartiality focuses strictly on not favouring any side and is the most clinical term, common in formal procedures ('the judge's impartiality was unquestioned'). For example, a teacher shows fairness by giving every student the same exam time, but equity would mean giving extra time to a student with a disability. Justice would be the principle that motivated the policy in the first place.

fairness ↗equity ↗impartiality ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • seek justice
  • demand justice
  • fight for justice
  • hope for justice

Prepositions

  • for justice
  • of justice

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Justice entered English in the 12th century through Old French 'justice', which came from Latin 'justitia' meaning 'righteousness, equity'. The Latin root 'justus' ('upright, just') also gave us 'just' and 'justify'. From its earliest use in English, the word carried both the abstract sense of moral fairness and the institutional sense of legal authority — a duality it still holds today.