abuse of discretion

noun

The rendering of a decision by a court that is so unreasonable in light of the facts of the case or is such an unreasonable deviation from legal precedent that it must be reversed.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounabuse of discretion (plural abuses of discretion)

plural abuses of discretion

  1. lawThe rendering of a decision by a court that is so unreasonable in light of the facts of the case or is such an unreasonable deviation from legal precedent that it must be reversed.
  2. lawAny action by a government official by which that official renders decisions for a clearly improper purpose.
Cite this entry
APA

abuse of discretion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abuse%20of%20discretion

MLA

“abuse of discretion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abuse%20of%20discretion. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abuse of discretion,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abuse%20of%20discretion.

Source: abuse of discretion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.