Meaning & use
quasi-judicial
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformallegallaw
having some of the powers of a court but not all; relating to an official body that resolves disputes like a court
Grammar: Typically used before a noun, e.g., 'quasi-judicial body'. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- quasi-judicial body
- quasi-judicial authority
- quasi-judicial function
The administrative tribunal has quasi-judicial powers to settle disputes between tenants and landlords.
A quasi-judicial hearing was held to determine whether the license should be revoked.
The ombudsman acts in a quasi-judicial capacity when investigating complaints against the government.
Common combinations
- quasi-judicial body
- The professional conduct committee is a quasi-judicial body.
- quasi-judicial authority
- The agency has quasi-judicial authority to impose fines.
- quasi-judicial function
- Reviewing asylum claims is a quasi-judicial function.
- quasi-judicial proceeding
- The hearing was a quasi-judicial proceeding, not a full court trial.
Synonyms and how they differ
- administrative
- Broader term; 'administrative' refers to management of rules, while 'quasi-judicial' specifically implies court-like decision-making.
- adjudicative
- Similar but more general; 'adjudicative' means relating to a judge's decision, while 'quasi-judicial' emphasizes partial judicial power.
Word family
- judicial adjective
- Relating to a court or judge; full judicial power.
- quasi prefix
- Meaning 'partly' or 'almost'; used in combinations like 'quasi-official'.
Commonly confused: quasi-judicial or judicial?
quasi-judicial vs judicial
'Judicial' means belonging to a court or judge; 'quasi-judicial' means having some court-like powers but not being a full court.
Practice
The agency's decision-making process is described as quasi-judicial because it ___.
Choose one answer.
'Quasi-judicial' means having some but not all judicial powers. Option An is too strong (it's not a full court), option C is the opposite, and option D is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quasi-judicial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.