justify

American  

[juhs-tuh-fahy] / ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

• justifies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• justified,
  past participle,  past
• justifying
  present participle

1. to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right.

   The end does not always justify the means.

   Synonyms:

   validate, vindicate

2. to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.

   Don't try to justify his rudeness.

   Synonyms:

   excuse

3. Theology. to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit

4. Printing.

   1. 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.

   2. to level and square (a strike).

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verb (used without object)

• justifies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• justified,
  past participle,  past
• justifying
  present participle

1. Law.

   1. to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done.

   2. to qualify as bail or surety.

2. Printing. (of a line of type) to fit exactly into a desired length.

justify British  

/ ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate

   he was certainly justified in taking the money

2. to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate

   his behaviour justifies our suspicion

3. to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve

4. law

   1. to show good reason in court for (some action taken)

   2. to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged)

      to justify a libel

5. (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

6. 1. Protestant theol to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner

   2. RC theol to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace

7. (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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• justifier
  noun
• prejustify
  verb (used with object)
• rejustify
  verb (used with object)
• justifyingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• justifying
  present
• justified
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• justify
  simple
• justifies
  simple
• have justified
  perfect
• has justified
  perfect
• am justifying
  progressive
• are justifying
  progressive
• is justifying
  progressive
• have been justifying
  perfect progressive
• has been justifying
  perfect progressive

Past

• justified
  simple
• had justified
  perfect
• was justifying
  progressive
• were justifying
  progressive
• had been justifying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will justify
  simple
• will have justified
  perfect
• will be justifying
  progressive
• will have been justifying
  perfect progressive

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

Explanation

To justify is to make excuses for one's actions, like the dieter who has to justify the few tiny pieces of chocolate she's sneaked in between salads. Anyone who has ever made excuses for his or her actions knows the meaning of justify, like the bank robber who justifies his latest heist by claiming he needs the bank's money to support his charitable foundation. He might think he's got a good reason for holding up the bank, but he's going to have a hard time convincing the bank's owner of his reason, or justification. To justify a line of text is to space it so that it lines up with the margin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

justify justifies justified justifying

But sinking much more money than planned into major oil and gas projects is hard to justify unless there’s a strong case that commodity prices can stay higher for longer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

“It’s tough,” said Andrew Carman, a hydrogen dealmaker at the conference who said there just aren’t enough buyers to justify much new fuel production.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Even if cubicles were slightly more expensive to maintain or consumed more water, this would not necessarily be enough to justify a price difference compared with urinals, she added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

I can think of dozens who’ve said, “I can’t justify spending $75 tonight.”

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

It didn’t justify or excuse what she’d said.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

"Nothing justifies these substantial harms to competition," the lawsuit states.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

"This research justifies a strong precautionary approach against introductions of extraterrestrial origin."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

The final act, during which the friends gather to mourn the death of one of their group, concludes on a deeply affecting note that justifies the expansive length.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The version that justifies near-term cuts, presumably the one Warsh is making, is the weaker one.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

Among other things the law justifies is the experimenter’s belief that the average of a bunch of measurements of some quantity should approach the true value of the quantity as the number of measurements increases.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

“Stocks that move this violently in both directions tend to keep doing so, and today’s rally, however well justified by the news, doesn’t change that underlying volatility,” Friedman said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Dr Eleanor Drage, a senior researcher at the University of Cambridge, said concerns about AI disadvantaging women in recruitment are "very justified".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Garcia was fired in 2024 for tardiness and absences that he claims were justified.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

AI monopolies is obsolete, if it was ever justified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

To Nazario, what he and Vera had done was justified.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Understanding why he matters means understanding that the modern federal government is shaped not only by elected officials but also by attorneys who craft legal arguments justifying government action.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

The practice is so unusual that an internal waiver justifying the choice is typically required.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Another view highlighted the impact of a weak yen as import price increases burden smaller businesses, justifying rate increases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

In justifying the repeal of its former rule, the SEC argued that repeal made negotiating settlements easier and cheaper — thus, sparing the SEC’s scarce resources.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

She saw how welfare caseworkers kept clients in the dark about their rights, justifying arbitrary actions by citing mysterious regulations.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• advocate
• condone
• confirm
• countenance
• defend
• explain
• favor
• maintain
• rationalize
• support
• sustain
• uphold
• validate
• vindicate
• warrant