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unjust

unjust

67 4.0
Not fair and not right
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈdʒʌst/
: injusto
  • Words, after all, too easily serve the purposes of the unjust as well.
  • unjust laws
  • unjust treatment
  • unjust system

But life is full of unjust things like this.

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Examples

  • There are unjust laws as there are unjust men.

  • At the same time, the prevailing global job market is unjust, especially for women.

    Academic text (2008)
  • But life is full of unjust things like this.

  • What is just and unjust is the way that institutions deal with these facts.

  • This is unfair and unjust.

  • Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.

  • Inherited debt is terribly unjust.

  • We are gathered here illegally because an unjust government... ...says we cannot join together to honor our fallen.

  • She continued to resist unjust laws with every fiber of her being.

  • Many people protested against the unjust treatment of workers in the factory.

Synonyms

unfair
vsunjust
434 1.0

Not treating people the same or following the rules

is a broader idea about moral wrongness rather than rule breaking
wrongful
vsunjust
  • Specialized
55 4.6

Not allowed by law or not fair to others

focuses on moral wrongness rather than legal status or authorization
inequitable
vsunjust
4 8.0

Not fair when people or groups do not get the same treatment

is a more general moral judgement beyond just unequal sharing

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Treating people equally and honestly

199 1.1

Fair and morally right

How Just

just
199 1.1
unjust
67 4.0
biased
152 4.0

Surface Forms

unjust positive
unjuster comparative
unjustest superlative

Morphology

unjust = just (transparent) = un + just

Meaning is directly derived from the productive English negation prefix 'un-' plus the adjective 'just', so learners can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Unjust is made of the common prefix un- meaning 'not' and just, which means 'fair' and appears in words like justice and justify. So, unjust means 'not fair' and is used for actions or rules that lack fairness.