unjustified
Britishadjective
Explanation
Whether it’s unjustified violence, an unjustified complaint, or an unjustified belief, you can use the word unjustified when something just isn’t right or seems to have no reason behind it. When you break apart the word unjustified, it’s easy to see what it means. You’re probably familiar with the prefix un-, which here means “not.” And justified contains just, meaning “fair.” So something that's unjustified is not fair or not right, such as an unjustified action like damaging someone's property or the unjustified praise for someone who has taken credit for another person's efforts.
Vocabulary lists containing unjustified
John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Korematsu v. United States (1944)
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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 new levies received swift condemnation from target countries, with Japan saying it "regrets" the duties and Australia's trade minister calling them "unjustified."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The vast majority of accused parents will be vindicated, but only after a stressful, unjustified process.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
For the dollar, the decisive factor will be whether he describes the energy price shock as temporary and leaves market expectations for future rate rises looking unjustified, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Given all that, no amount of skepticism or cynicism is unjustified.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
I gave thirty-five years' service to Lord Darlington; one would surely not be unjustified in claiming that during those years, one was, in the truest terms, 'attached to a distinguished household'.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
