- Violation of another's rights or of what is right; lack of justice.
- A specific unjust act; a wrong.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin iniūstitia, from iniūstus, unjust : in-, not; see in–1 + iūstus, just; see
SYNONYMS injustice, injury, wrong, grievance. These nouns denote acts or conditions that cause people to suffer hardship or loss undeservedly. An injustice is a violation of a person's rights; the term can also refer to unfair treatment of another or others: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). An injury is an injustice for which legal redress is available: The court awarded the plaintiff compensation for the injury to his property. Wrong is now more emphatic than injustice and in a legal sense refers to what violates the rights of an individual or adversely affects the public welfare: “The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth” (Charles Kingsley). A grievance is regarded by those involved as a wrong that affords cause for complaint: The warden addressed the inmates' grievances.








