as in legitimate
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
had justifiable reasons for leaving early
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Recent Examples of justifiable
Alongside demoralization runs justifiable caution; the act of protest itself has become more dangerous.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
He was told that no charges were filed and that it was deemed a justifiable homicide.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Border security clearly is national security, so leaving the Border Patrol union untouched is not justifiable.
—The Editors, National Review, 31 Mar. 2025
In its latest action addressing broader issues, the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday voted against the state bill that would change rules about justifiable homicide and unanimously adopted a resolution defining antisemitism and promoting nondiscrimination of all residents.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
He was told that no charges were filed and that it was deemed a justifiable homicide.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Border security clearly is national security, so leaving the Border Patrol union untouched is not justifiable.
—The Editors, National Review, 31 Mar. 2025
In its latest action addressing broader issues, the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday voted against the state bill that would change rules about justifiable homicide and unanimously adopted a resolution defining antisemitism and promoting nondiscrimination of all residents.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
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The nation-state is widely seen as the most legitimate, successful, and just form of political order, but Pagden catalogs the often violent and coercive ways in which cultural and ethnic groups were corralled into sovereign territorial states.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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There must also be a clear distinction between errors made in the course of legitimate military operations and intentionally directing attacks against civilians, which is Hamas' standard practice and a blatant war crime.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the concept is something that may not be acceptable to the public.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
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Suicide and euthanasia are never morally acceptable options.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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However, when asked if that meant Game 1’s starting lineup may not be viable in this series, Rivers shut down the notion and suggested that the starters need to be more disciplined and execute better offensively.—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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As an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in starting, running and advising companies in the software and life sciences sector, his role is to support the university’s emerging entrepreneurs, equipping them build viable companies.—
Trevor Clawson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The economic idea that people are purely rational, self-serving beings has been undermined by broad research over decades into psychology and behavioral economics.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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That despite her reasoned, carefully articulated point to Joel, that this is not rational.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Multi: Multi-ground (MG) cleats are designed to achieve reasonable levels of traction, grip and control on as many types of ground as possible.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
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Read has pleaded not guilty, denied killing O'Keefe and alleged she is being framed, attempting to sow reasonable doubt in prosecutors' claims and asserting that someone else killed O'Keefe and had ties to and influence over the investigation.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The most defensible positions will center on traits AI struggles to replicate: genuine empathy, creative vision, relationship-building, and ethical decision-making.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Intuitions, with shape-shifting qualities akin to those of paranoias or fantasies, are not always defensible, rarely unassailable.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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