justified

American  

[juhs-tuh-fahyd] / ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. having been shown to be just or right.

   If a parent sides with one child over another, one will feel righteous and justified, and the other will feel misunderstood and resentful.

2. warranted or well-grounded.

   The commission’s stance is that bans on GMO crops must be scientifically justified and crop-specific.

   I accept that there may be a penalty for justified civil disobedience, but I must weigh that penalty against the good that can be accomplished.

3. Printing. aligned with one or, especially, both margins.

   Justified text looks a little neater, but there's nothing particularly wrong with having a ragged right edge.

---

noun

1. Theology. Usually the justified a person or persons believed to be worthy, redeemed, or absolved.

   Good works are logically and morally necessary, for they are nothing more or less than the evidence that one is indeed among the justified.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of justify.

Other Word Forms

• half-justified adjective
• unjustified adjective
• well-justified adjective

Etymology

Origin of justified

justify ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He says the current narrative shows that anyone or any institution who criticises fundamentalists can be "dehumanised by labelling them pro-India, and attacks on them can be justified".

From BBC

Head hit one of the all-time great Ashes centuries to win the match inside two days and justified his continued promotion to opener with a sublime 170 in Adelaide.

From BBC

Some industry executives have justified longer loan terms because vehicles tend to stay on the road longer, thanks to improvements in technology and engineering.

From The Wall Street Journal

Aung San's wartime comrade Ne Win, who had taken the helm of the armed forces after the leader's assassination in murky circumstances, swooped in in a putsch he justified as protection against Myanmar's disintegration.

From Barron's

Min Aung Hlaing has said military operations were justified to root out insurgents and steadfastly denies allegations of human rights abuses.

From Barron's

Related Words

• constitutional
• contractual
• fair
• juridical
• lawful
• legitimate
• proper
• statutory
• valid