judiciary

judiciary — noun

1. The branch of a national government that interprets laws and settles legal dispu

1.名詞B2
釋義

The branch of a national government that interprets laws and settles legal disputes through a system of courts, separate from the law-making and administrative branches.

例句

South Africa's High Court blocked the president's emergency decree in 2024, proving the judiciary's independence.

collocation: independent judiciary

In 2015, Kenya's judiciary struck down a law that limited women's right to inherit land, ruling it unconstitutional.

同義詞
  • judicial branch

    More specific; emphasises the constitutional separation-of-powers role

  • the courts

    Less formal and more practical, focusing on the institution where cases are heard

反義詞

文法句型

the judiciary

the [adjective] judiciary

用法筆記

Frequently contrasted with 'the executive' and 'the legislature' in discussions of the separation of powers. Subject is usually singular ('the judiciary has…'), even when referring to a collective body.

常見錯誤

❌The judiciary sentenced the defendant to ten years in prison.
✅The judge sentenced the defendant to ten years in prison.
💡'Judiciary' refers to the institution or the body of judges collectively, not to a single judge.

2. The organised network of courts within a country that hear cases, apply existing

2.名詞B2
釋義

The organised network of courts within a country that hear cases, apply existing laws, and resolve conflicts between individuals or between citizens and the state.

例句

India's judiciary handles everything from traffic ticket appeals in Mumbai to corruption trials in New Delhi.

possessive determiner + judiciary

Over the past decade, Germany's federal judiciary introduced digital filing and cut its case backlog by forty percent.

pre-modifier: federal judiciary

同義詞
  • court system

    More concrete and everyday; refers to the physical and procedural structure of courts

  • judicial system

    Slightly broader, encompassing both courts and the principles of justice they follow

文法句型

the judiciary

the [adjective] judiciary

a [adjective] judiciary

用法筆記

Focuses on the organisational structure and functioning of courts rather than on individual judges. Often modified by adjectives describing capacity or quality ('overburdened', 'efficient', 'federal', 'state').

常見錯誤

❌The British judiciary includes both judges and juries.
✅The British court system includes both judges and juries.
💡'Judiciary' refers specifically to the professional judges; juries are not part of it.

3. All the judges in a country or region, regarded as a single professional body th

3.名詞B2
釋義

All the judges in a country or region, regarded as a single professional body that administers justice.

例句

After a rise in knife crime, the UK judiciary called on Parliament for stricter sentencing guidelines.

singular verb with collective judiciary

Before a drug trafficking trial begins, judges in Brazil must publicly declare any personal ties to the defendants.

phrase: members of the judiciary

同義詞
  • the bench

    Formal and idiomatic; used especially in the phrase 'the bench and the bar'

  • judges

    More straightforward and less institutional; refers to the individuals rather than the body

文法句型

the judiciary

members of the judiciary

the entire judiciary

用法筆記

Refers to judges as a collective professional body rather than as individuals. In British English, can take a singular or plural verb ('the judiciary has/have decided'), though singular agreement is more common in formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌Three members of the judiciary were appointed last week' (vague).
✅Three new judges were appointed to the High Court last week.
💡When referring to specific individuals, 'judge' or 'justice' is clearer than 'member of the judiciary.'