Words / C1

joo-DISH-uh-ree/dʒuˈdɪʃəri/

The judiciary is the judges of a country as a group, or the court system: an independent judiciary. Judge is the everyday person; judicial (this batch) is the adjective. Jury (already in the dictionary) decides some trials — a different body. Do not call a university board a judiciary.

Meaning

The judges of a country, considered as a group; the court system.

Examples

• “An independent judiciary is not a branding line in a prospectus.”
• “Judges are people; the judiciary is the institution. Judicial is the adjective. A jury is lay fact-finders in some trials. A senate or board is governance, not the judiciary.”

Good to know

The body of judges / courts. Everyday: judges. Adjective: judicial. Contrast: jury. A campus board is not the judiciary.

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