just
adjective · adverb · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Used usually of what is legally or ethically right or proper or fitting.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
juhstIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdʒʌst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Used especially of what is legally or ethically right or proper or fitting
“A just and lasting peace"- A.Lincoln.”
Morally right; upright, righteous, equitable; fair.
Factually right, correct; factual.
Rationally right, correct.
Proper, adequate.
adverb
Only, simply, merely.
Moments ago, only very recently.
Exactly, precisely, perfectly.
Introduces a disappointing or surprising outcome that renders futile something previously mentioned.
By a narrow margin; closely; narrowly; almost not.
Barely, hardly, scarcely.
noun
A joust, tournament.
verb
To joust, fight a tournament.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Used especially of what is legally or ethically right or proper or fitting
Used this way, just is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.
“A just and lasting peace"- A.Lincoln.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- evenhanded , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use just
- “We've just finished painting the walls, so don't touch them.”adverb
- “I only just caught the bus.”adverb
- “A just and lasting peace"- A.Lincoln.”adjective
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The appropriate or desirable thing.
At a particular time in the past.
Only a moment ago.
The difference between two stimuli that (under properly controlled experimental conditions) is detected as often as it is undetected.
At the last possible moment.
If there happens to be need.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The quality of being just or fair.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Looking for a more precise alternative? “just” can mean several things.
the pricing changea tool / a habit / a rulethe whole project / evening / processcheckingexcellent
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.