justify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right.
The end does not always justify the means.
-
to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.
Don't try to justify his rudeness.
- Synonyms:
- excuse
-
Printing.
-
to make (a line of type) a desired length by spacing the words and letters, especially so that full lines in a column have even margins both on the left and on the right.
-
to level and square (a strike).
-
verb (used without object)
-
Law.
-
to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done.
-
to qualify as bail or surety.
-
-
Printing. (of a line of type) to fit exactly into a desired length.
verb
-
(often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate
he was certainly justified in taking the money
-
to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate
his behaviour justifies our suspicion
-
to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve
-
law
-
to show good reason in court for (some action taken)
-
to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged)
to justify a libel
-
-
(also intr) printing computing to adjust the spaces between words in (a line of type or data) so that it is of the required length or (of a line of type or data) to fit exactly
-
-
Protestant theol to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner
-
RC theol to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace
-
-
(also intr) law to prove (a person) to have sufficient means to act as surety, etc, or (of a person) to qualify to provide bail or surety
Other Word Forms
- justifier noun
- justifyingly adverb
- prejustify verb (used with object)
- rejustify verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of justify
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Late Latin jūstificāre, equivalent to Latin jūsti- (combining form of jūstus just 1 ) + -ficāre -fy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The BBC's State Department correspondent Tom Bateman and Washington correspondent Daniel Bush break down the president's words line by line to explain how he is justifying the action and assess the risks ahead.
From BBC
But his history of public controversy stretches back to at least 1991, when a memo he wrote while serving as the World Bank’s chief economist appeared to justify sending toxic waste to poorer countries.
From Salon
Older trusts, such as A/B trusts, often contain rigid language that restricts control for surviving spouses, a limitation no longer justified by tax benefits.
From Barron's
Megacap tech stocks are struggling as investors balk at the massive spending on AI infrastructure, seemingly worried about the possibility that the return on investment might be too weak to justify the tremendous cost.
From MarketWatch
He observes that labeling certain feelings as negative justifies attempts to banish them, but he counsels doing the opposite.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
