injustice

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Unfairness in the way people are treated, especially within laws, institutions, or society.

   Grammar: No plural for the general condition; often modified by social, racial, or systemic.

   Patterns

   • social injustice
   • fight injustice
   • sense of injustice

   The movement protested racial injustice.

   There is a deep sense of injustice in the community.

   Laws can reduce injustice, but attitudes must change too.

2. 2nouncountable

   A particular action, decision, or situation that is unfair to someone.

   Grammar: Countable for one unfair event; plural injustices lists several.

   Patterns

   • commit an injustice
   • correct an injustice
   • suffer an injustice

   Firing her without evidence was a clear injustice.

   He spent years trying to correct the injustice.

   The fine felt like a small daily injustice.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountablelegal

   Failure to give someone their legal rights or a fair hearing.

   Grammar: Formal legal use; often near denial of justice rather than everyday unfairness.

   Patterns

   • miscarriage or injustice of justice
   • victim of injustice
   • remedy an injustice

   The appeal claimed a grave injustice had occurred.

   Lawyers worked to remedy the injustice.

   A hidden error became an injustice for the family.

Word forms

Common combinations

social injustice

The documentary examines housing and social injustice.

racial injustice

Protesters demanded action against racial injustice.

sense of injustice

A strong sense of injustice fueled the debate.

correct an injustice

The new evidence helped correct an injustice.

Synonyms and how they differ

unfairness

Everyday and broad; injustice is stronger and often concerns systems or rights.

inequity

Formal, especially unequal treatment or opportunity; injustice can name a single act.

wrong

Simple and direct; injustice is broader than one wrong action.

oppression

Much stronger: cruel or unjust control over a group over time.

Opposites

Word family

unjust adjective

Not fair or morally right.

unjustly adverb

In an unfair way.

justice noun

Fair treatment or the legal system that protects rights.

justify verb

To give a good reason for something; from the same root family.

Commonly confused: injustice or injury? injustice or just in case?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “injustice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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