justifiable

adjective

jus·​ti·​fi·​able ˈjə-stə-ˌfī-ə-bəl 

: capable of being justified : excusable

justifiable family pride

—Current Biography

justifiability

ˌjə-stə-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

justifiably

ˈjə-stə-ˌfī-ə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• legitimate
• acceptable
• supportable
• defendable
• viable
• rational
• reasonable
• maintainable
• defensible

Examples of justifiable in a Sentence

had justifiable reasons for leaving early

Recent Examples on the Web

Security, errors, and trust dominate the risk analysis Despite the hype and muddled terminology, the core idea of AI agents—systems designed to autonomously take action to carry out specific tasks—is still generating a lot of justifiable excitement. —Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

As an epic celebration of imperialism, colonialization, and warfare, the Aeneid is often viewed with justifiable wariness by twenty-first-century readers. —Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

This valuation seems justifiable given the company's robust growth, with consensus projections indicating a 43% revenue increase for FY'26 and a 19% rise for FY'27. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

The Biological Weapons Convention, which came into force in 1975 and now has 189 members, prohibits countries from developing, producing, and acquiring biological agents or toxins that do not have justifiable purposes. —Liyam Chitayat, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for justifiable

• leviable
• reliable
• classifiable
• modifiable
• notifiable
• satisfiable
• specifiable
• undeniable
• unreliable
• verifiable
• emulsifiable
• identifiable

Legal Definition

justifiable

adjective

jus·​ti·​fi·​able ˌjəs-tə-ˈfī-ə-bəl 

: capable of being justified

justifiable reliance