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 justified fear was that without a conference affiliation with the two biggest schools in the Big 12 would be catastrophic to Texas Tech University, its football team, the entire athletic department, and to Lubbock itself.
—Mac Engel
november 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Though the decision to go with Beck seemed justified at the time, Mendoza (25 touchdowns, four interceptions for undefeated Indiana) would have been the cheaper and better option, in retrospect.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
After testing the Sonata Hybrid Limited, its pricing seems justified, though drivers can opt for the less refined and less technologically advanced SEL to save money.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
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Mac Engel
november 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Though the decision to go with Beck seemed justified at the time, Mendoza (25 touchdowns, four interceptions for undefeated Indiana) would have been the cheaper and better option, in retrospect.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
After testing the Sonata Hybrid Limited, its pricing seems justified, though drivers can opt for the less refined and less technologically advanced SEL to save money.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 3 Nov. 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 19 Nov. 2025.
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