justified
adjective
jus·ti·fied
ˈjə-stə-ˌfīd 
1
: having or shown to have a just, right, or reasonable basis
a justified punishment
a justified reputation for toughness
Such work calls for a combination of training and talent that few can lay justified claim to …—
Bernard Knox
Bernard Knox2
typography
a
: aligned evenly at the margin
a justified line of text
In justified composition, where the type must be flush with both the left and right margins, the machine will automatically expand or condense the word space or hyphenate end-of-line words to fill up the line measure.—Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree
Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree
b
: made even by spacing lines of text
a document with justified margins
Examples of justified in a Sentence
in a well-justified ruling the court voted unanimously to overturn the law
the use of force to capture the armed fugitive was fully justified
Recent Examples on the Web
The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to is justified and was approved by the voters who elected Trump.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Iran on April 14 urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
These cuts, however, must be strategic, justified, and well placed to be effective.
Large and sudden across-the-board cuts, however, inevitably end up cutting or killing essential research funding and the firing of highly talented people.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 18 May 2025
Financial scams have become more convincing and common over the years, causing every phone call and email from an unknown contact to be greeted with justified suspicion.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
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Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Iran on April 14 urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
These cuts, however, must be strategic, justified, and well placed to be effective.
Large and sudden across-the-board cuts, however, inevitably end up cutting or killing essential research funding and the firing of highly talented people.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 18 May 2025
Financial scams have become more convincing and common over the years, causing every phone call and email from an unknown contact to be greeted with justified suspicion.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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