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justice

JUSS-tiss /ˈdʒʌstɪs/

nounB1

generallegalpolitical

Fairness in the distribution of benefits and risks; in healthcare, the principle that all patients should be treated equally and have fair access to resources.

In bioethics, 'distributive justice' is the most common form, dealing with how scarce resources (like organ transplants) are allocated.

The story behind the word. Derived from the Latin 'justitia,' which comes from 'jus' (right or law). In Roman mythology, Justitia was the goddess of Justice, often depicted with scales to represent the weighing of evidence.

Word relationships

equity: Justice is the overarching principle of fairness; equity is the specific practice of giving people what they need to achieve an equal outcome.

injustice: A lack of fairness or the violation of rights.

Commonly confused with

equality: Equality means giving everyone the same thing; justice means ensuring the distribution is fair based on need or merit.

Word family

justify (verb): To show or prove to be right or reasonable.
just (adjective): Based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.

Collocations

distributive justice
social justice
access to justice

Idioms & expressions

do justice to
poetic justice

Example sentences

"Social justice in healthcare requires that a person's zip code should not determine their life expectancy." Public health policy.
"Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought." A philosophical inquiry into fairness. (John Rawls, 'A Theory of Justice')

Memory hook

Justice is 'Just Us' being fair to everyone. The fair share.

When not to use

In a medical context, don't use it to mean 'punishment' or 'retribution' (like 'bringing a criminal to justice').

Fun facts

The 'Lady Justice' statue is blindfolded to represent objectivity, but this tradition only started in the 15th century—originally, she was shown with clear sight.