rough justice
Treatment or punishment that is not considered fair or in accordance with the law.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The referee's bad call felt like rough justice.”
“The company fired him without a proper hearing, which felt like rough justice to everyone in the office.”
“The villagers took matters into their own hands, delivering a form of rough justice that bypassed the local courts entirely.”
- 01
bring to justice
To cause a person alleged to have committed criminal acts to be brought to trial on the offenses.
- 02
cut up rough
To become angry; to make a fuss.
- 03
do justice
To allow to be apprehended in its full scope.
- 04
have a rough time of it
To have many problems; to have a difficult time.
- 05
rough and ready
Crude or unpolished, but still fit for use; good enough.
- 06
rough around the edges
In need of refinement; unsophisticated.
- 07
rough out
To produce (a plan, diagram etc.) in rough.
- 08
rough patch
A difficult or embattling period of one's life.
Last updated August 10, 2026