unjustifiable
adjective
un·jus·ti·fi·able
ˌən-ˈjə-stə-ˌfī-ə-bəl 
: unable to be justified : not excusable or justifiable
an unjustifiable decision
taking an unjustifiable risk
unjustifiable expenses
Synonyms
Examples of unjustifiable in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For those of us who were part of the largely white youth culture in the liberal minority culture of South Africa — the confused part of the privileged elite in an unjustifiable system of apartheid — Rodriguez was as important to us as Dylan, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye...
—
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
Scientists like me are beginning to rebel against the unjustifiable waste of resources.
—Shella Keilholz, STAT, 1 Feb. 2024
Unable to develop reliable local allies who could successfully counter well-disciplined, albeit extreme, forces on the ground, Saudi Arabia relied on airpower, which was largely ineffective in holding territory against the Houthis and wound up hitting many inappropriate and unjustifiable targets.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2024
Some may regard those goals as justified, and others as immoral and unjustifiable, but those assessments are not relevant to the terrorist designation.
—Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2023
Her Instagram post runs in full below: My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict – too many of which are children.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2023
The story is the Republican Party finding a way to justify the unjustifiable.
—ABC News, 13 Aug. 2023
For those of us who were part of the largely white youth culture in the liberal minority culture of South Africa — the confused part of the privileged elite in an unjustifiable system of apartheid — Rodriguez was as important to us as Dylan, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
Vice President Mike Pence beamed into the same convention to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for Vice President using Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, as the backdrop, a use of government property that ethics experts said was unjustifiable.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 10 July 2023
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
Scientists like me are beginning to rebel against the unjustifiable waste of resources.
—Shella Keilholz, STAT, 1 Feb. 2024
Unable to develop reliable local allies who could successfully counter well-disciplined, albeit extreme, forces on the ground, Saudi Arabia relied on airpower, which was largely ineffective in holding territory against the Houthis and wound up hitting many inappropriate and unjustifiable targets.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2024
Some may regard those goals as justified, and others as immoral and unjustifiable, but those assessments are not relevant to the terrorist designation.
—Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2023
Her Instagram post runs in full below: My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict – too many of which are children.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2023
The story is the Republican Party finding a way to justify the unjustifiable.
—ABC News, 13 Aug. 2023
For those of us who were part of the largely white youth culture in the liberal minority culture of South Africa — the confused part of the privileged elite in an unjustifiable system of apartheid — Rodriguez was as important to us as Dylan, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
Vice President Mike Pence beamed into the same convention to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for Vice President using Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, as the backdrop, a use of government property that ethics experts said was unjustifiable.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 10 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unjustifiable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1674, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unjustifiable
Cite this Entry
“Unjustifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unjustifiable. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Legal Definition
unjustifiable
adjective
un·jus·ti·fi·able
ˌən-ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī-ə-bəl, -ˌjəs-tə-ˈfī-
: not justifiable
unjustifiably
adverb
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