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Justice vs Retribution - What's the difference?

justice | retribution |

As nouns the difference between justice and retribution

is that justice is the state or characteristic of being just or fair while retribution is punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

As a proper noun Justice

is {{surname|A=An occupational|from=occupations}.

justice

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • The state or characteristic of being just or fair.
  • the justice of a description
  • * Shakespeare
  • This even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice / To our own lips.
  • The ideal of fairness, impartiality, etc., especially with regard to the punishment of wrongdoing.
  • Justice was served.
  • Judgment and punishment of a party who has allegedly wronged another.
  • to demand justice
  • The civil power dealing with law.
  • Ministry of Justice
    the justice system
  • A judge of certain courts. Also capitalized as a title.
  • ''Mr. Justice Krever presides over the appellate court
  • Correctness, conforming to reality or rules.
  • Antonyms

    * injustice

    Derived terms

    * Chief Justice * commutative justice * distributive justice * divine justice * do justice * justice of the peace * poetic justice * puisne justice * strict justice

    See also

    * fairness

    Statistics

    * English abstract nouns ----

    retribution

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
  • *1983 , Richard A. Posner, The economics of justice m p.208:
  • *:Whereas retribution focuses on the offender's wrong, retaliation focuses on the impulse of the victim (or of those who sympathize with him) to strike back at the offender.
  • * 1999 , , Medieval crime and social control , p.73:
  • *:1. Revenge is for an injury; retribution is for a wrong.
  • *:2. Retribution sets an internal limit to the amount of the punishment according to the seriousness of the wrong; revenge need not.
  • *:3. Revenge is personal; the agent of retribution need have no special or personal tie to the victim of the wrong for which he exacts retribution.
  • *:4. Revenge involves a particular emotional tone, pleasure in the suffering of another, while retribution need involve no emotional tone.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Hypernyms

    * punishment

    Derived terms

    * retributionist * retributive