Meaning & use
unjust
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Not fair, because it goes against what people deserve or what the law should protect.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: an unjust law; the rule is unjust.
Patterns
- unjust to someone
- an unjust system
It is unjust to punish the whole class for one student's prank.
The workers protested against the unjust treatment they received.
Many people called the verdict deeply unjust.
adjectivecomparable
Treating someone more harshly or less kindly than they deserve.
Grammar: Often followed by to or of: that was unjust of him.
Patterns
- unjust to someone
- it is unjust of someone to do something
It was unjust of her to blame him for the delay.
You are being unjust to your sister.
The teacher's comment felt unjust and hurt his pride.
Word forms
| comparative | more unjust |
|---|---|
| superlative | most unjust |
Common combinations
- unjust law
- Citizens have a right to challenge an unjust law.
- unjust treatment
- He complained of unjust treatment by his employer.
- unjust system
- They worked to reform an unjust system.
- deeply unjust
- The ruling seemed deeply unjust to many.
- unjust accusation
- She was hurt by the unjust accusation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unfair
- Unfair is the everyday word and can describe small matters, whereas unjust sounds heavier and suggests a moral or legal wrong.
- inequitable
- Inequitable is more formal and focuses on uneven shares or treatment between groups.
- wrongful
- Wrongful is mainly a legal word, as in wrongful arrest, and it names an act rather than a general quality.
- biased
- Biased describes a person or source that favors one side, but an unjust result need not come from bias.
Opposites
Word family
- unjustly adverb
- in a way that is not fair
- injustice noun
- a situation or act that is not fair
- justice noun
- fair treatment under the law or in general
- unjustified adjective
- without good reason
Commonly confused: unjust or unjustified?
unjust vs unjustified
Unjustified means lacking good reason, while unjust means morally unfair; an unjustified delay is not necessarily an unjust one.
Practice
The protesters said the law was ______ because it punished poor people more than rich ones.
Choose one answer.
Unjust means morally unfair, which fits a law that treats groups differently. Unjustified means lacking a reason, a different idea that does not describe the unequal punishment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unjust”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.