justify

[ juhs-tuh-fahy ]

/ ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪ /

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See synonyms for: justify / justified / justifying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), jus·ti·fied, jus·ti·fy·ing.

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.

Theology. to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit

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), jus·ti·fied, jus·ti·fy·ing.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR justify

1 vindicate; validate.

2 excuse.

See synonyms for justify on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 just¹) + -ficāre -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM justify

jus·ti·fi·er, nounjus·ti·fy·ing·ly, adverbpre·jus·ti·fy, verb (used with object), pre·jus·ti·fied, pre·jus·ti·fy·ing.re·jus·ti·fy, verb (used with object), re·jus·ti·fied, re·jus·ti·fy·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use justify in a sentence

Twenty miles is long enough to justify putting on all that Lycra, yet it’s short enough to do in sneakers and jorts.
Why 20 Miles Is the Perfect Length for a Bike Ride|Eben Weiss|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
These conversations boil down to the SSP having to justify why it should not be dropped as an ad tech vendor.
‘More into less’: Diageo to consolidate ad tech spending|Seb Joseph|November 13, 2020|Digiday
After about four hours with the updated “Spider-Man,” and having played the original for more than a 100 hours, I can safely say that there are more than enough graphical updates to justify the asking price.
‘Ghost of Tsushima’ sees the best kind of PlayStation 5 upgrade: transformative and free|Gene Park|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
So fans ended up looking for signs to try to justify their belief in a different ending.
Why Britney Spears’s fans are convinced she’s being held captive|Constance Grady|November 11, 2020|Vox

It’s up to us to justify that and give you the best experience and a great product.
Jiko raises $40 million to become a most unusual challenger bank|rhhackettfortune|October 29, 2020|Fortune
There is no such thing as speech so hateful or offensive it somehow “justifies” or “legitimizes” the use of violence.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
True anarchism,” he wrote in 1940, “never justifies bloodshed.
Was the Unabomber a Eugene O’Neill Fan?|Robert M. Dowling|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Executing by beheading ritualistically justifies the violence,” she says.
How ISIS Ripped Off ‘Natural Born Killers'|Jamie Dettmer|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She directly justifies her behavior to a great deal by suggesting that everything she does is for the good of the family.
Inside 'Sons of Anarchy's' Final Season: Creator Kurt Sutter on the Most Brutal Season Yet|Annaliza Savage|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But AM-2 is not a friend to the agility that justifies the F-35B over other forms of expeditionary airpower.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To?|Bill Sweetman|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is from the plots and counter-plots, the machinations and subterfuges that follow that Miss Bowen justifies her title.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
The undeniably great success of this new Provençal literature justifies completely the revival of the dialect.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
What justifies the disruption requires a dissent from the civil power, as a power not of God.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
In a word, Boileau ridicules Perrault much more than he justifies Homer.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Paranoia, at least in its severer forms, completely justifies the plea of irresponsibility for actions committed.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley

British Dictionary definitions for justify

justify

/ (ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (mainly tr)

(often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicatehe was certainly justified in taking the money

to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiatehis 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

Derived forms of justify

justifier, noun

Word Origin for justify

C14: from Old French justifier, from Latin justificāre, from jūstus just + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

justify

OTHER WORDS FOR justify

Origin of justify

OTHER WORDS FROM justify

Words related to justify

How to use justify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for justify

Derived forms of justify

Word Origin for justify