Etymology
Origin of justly
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at just 1, -ly
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 one thing one can’t justly accuse him of is antisemitism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Moreover, though Mr. Parsons’s youth is justly being noticed, art doesn’t easily submit to grading on an age curve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
"No one should be fooled into thinking that this fraud appeal belatedly succeeding suggests the Hong Kong system operates fairly or justly," she told the BBC.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Paull’s neo-futuristic visions of a 2019 Los Angeles had recently earned him an Oscar nomination for “Blade Runner,” justly applauded as a dystopian masterpiece.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
Even with the scowl that his memory reluctantly but justly added, it seemed a face as kindly as a father’s compared to Pai’s.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
