justify

verb

jus·​ti·​fy ˈjə-stə-ˌfī How to pronounce justify (audio)
justified; justifying

transitive verb

1
a
: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
trying to justify his selfish behavior
I shouldn't have to justify myself to them.
justify the ways of God to manJohn Milton
b(1)
: to show to have had a sufficient legal reason
(2)
: to qualify (oneself) as a surety (see surety sense 3) by taking oath to the ownership of sufficient property
2
a
: to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation
God justifies with his forgiveness and grace the man who comes to himWill Herberg
b
archaic : to administer justice to
c
archaic : absolve
3
a
: to space (lines of text) so that the lines come out even at the margin
b
: to make even by spacing lines of text
justified margins

intransitive verb

1
a
: to show a sufficient lawful reason for an act done
b
: to qualify as bail or surety
the surety justified on the bail bond
2
: to justify lines of text
justifier noun
Choose the Right Synonym for justify

maintain, assert, defend, vindicate, justify mean to uphold as true, right, just, or reasonable.

maintain stresses firmness of conviction.

steadfastly maintained his innocence

assert suggests determination to make others accept one's claim.

asserted her rights

defend implies maintaining in the face of attack or criticism.

defended his voting record

vindicate implies successfully defending.

his success vindicated our faith in him

justify implies showing to be true, just, or valid by appeal to a standard or to precedent.

the action was used to justify military intervention

Examples of justify in a Sentence

He tried to justify his behavior by saying that he was being pressured unfairly by his boss. The fact that we are at war does not justify treating innocent people as criminals.
Recent Examples on the Web Are we justified to protect the harmful animal agriculture business because some farms are owned by families? Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024 The judge ruled the issues raised by the defense did not justify a new trial or dismissal, and that the state did not suppress the ammunition evidence in Gutierrez's trial that was at the heart of Baldwin's dismissal. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024 According to the Long Beach Unified safety officers’ policy, officers may fire only when reasonably necessary and justified under the circumstances, such as self-defense and the protection of others. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 Friction point: Offering tax breaks to tech giants such as Microsoft has faced opposition, with critics arguing that data centers don't employ enough workers to justify the tax incentives and their energy demands. Joe Guillen, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for justify 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'justify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English justifien, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French justifier, from Late Latin justificare, from Latin justus — see just entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of justify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near justify

Cite this Entry

“Justify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justify. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

justify

verb
jus·​ti·​fy ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce justify (audio)
justified; justifying
1
: to prove or show to be just, right, legal, or reasonable
2
: to release from the guilt of sin
justifiable
ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī-ə-bəl
adjective
justifiably
-blē
adverb
justifier noun

Legal Definition

justify

verb
jus·​ti·​fy ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce justify (audio)
justified; justifying

transitive verb

1
: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
does not justify a denial of bail
2
: to show to have had a legally sufficient reason or cause
a defendant may not set up his own standard of conduct to justify or excuse himselfState v. Doss, 568 P.2d 1054 (1977)

intransitive verb

1
: to show a legally sufficient reason for an act
2
: to swear an oath as to the ownership of sufficient property
they shall justify in an amount no less than $200Oregon Revised Statutes
also : to qualify as a surety by swearing such an oath
the defendants sought to justify as bail State v. Blaisdell, 253 A.2d 341 (1969)

More from Merriam-Webster on justify

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