justify

verb

jus·​ti·​fy ˈjə-stə-ˌfī 

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 man

—John 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 him …

—Will 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

ˈjə-stə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Synonyms of justify

• explain
• excuse

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

India has a strong structural growth story, but investors still need earnings growth to justify the valuation premium, Luchnikava-Schorsch said. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

And in each case the president attempted to explain and justify his policies—standards Trump has routinely failed to meet. — Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2026

His team is still generating preclinical data to justify doing it for the advanced maternal age group. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 3 Nov. 2026

To justify a top-down overhaul, some have levied sweeping attacks, rhetoric and clear exaggerations against the traditional system. — Eric Wargotz, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing justify

• justify oneself

Rhymes for justify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

justify

verb

jus·​ti·​fy ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī 

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

-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Legal Definition

justify

verb

jus·​ti·​fy ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī 

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 himself

—State 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 $200

—Oregon 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)