noun

injustice

in-JUS-tis/ɪnˈdʒʌstɪs/

Unfair treatment or a violation of someone's rights.

Paying one worker less for identical work creates an obvious injustice.

Two workers present identical completed work, but a supervisor gives one a large payment and the other a single coin, making unequal treatment directly visible.

Etymology

inLatinnot

+justLatinjust, lawful

+iceLatinquality or condition

Negating “just” or “lawful” produces the idea of unfairness. Because the adjective covered both lawful conduct and equitable treatment, the noun connects naturally to violations of rights as well as unfair treatment.

In context

TED13:45

we pay attention to suffering, to poverty, to exclusion, to unfairness, to injustice.

Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice | TED

More examples

The campaign sought to correct the injustice.
Several injustices remained unresolved.
She spoke out against injustice in the workplace.

Forms

injustice · injustices

Similar words

unfairness: The ordinary term without necessarily a violation of rights.
wrong: Wrong is broader and need not specifically concern unequal or unfair treatment.