justify

verb jus·ti·fy \ ˈjə-stə-ˌfī \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: justify in a Sentence

Definition of justify

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 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

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justifier

play \ˈjə-stə-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun

See justify defined for English-language learners

See justify defined for kids

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 of justify from the Web

Twitter has gone to great lengths to appease the right, and any purge, however justified, would result in waves of negative coverage from Fox News and the Drudge Report.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Is Twitter Good Now?," 13 July 2018
God’s mercy and justice on those who have blasphemed God’s holy name, those who slander and bear false witness and those who commit murder or justify murder as a means for fighting criminality.

— jim gomez, The Seattle Times, "Bishops call for 3-day fasting after Duterte says God stupid," 9 July 2018
The BeoSound 1 has the advantage of being nominally portable — with a built-in 16-hour battery — though reviews of its sound quality and performance don’t describe it as being the truly hi-fi product that might justify its price in functional terms.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "Bang & Olufsen puts five unique BeoSound 1 speakers up for auction," 3 July 2018
And anyway, Drake would also be at least somewhat justified in looking back on the reception to Views and deciding his approach doesn't really need changing.

— andrew unterberger, Billboard, "The Five Biggest Questions Facing Drake on His Upcoming 'Scorpion' Album," 28 June 2018
From pints of Ben & Jerry’s and Snickers bars to bags of Doritos or a large Domino’s pizza, the cheat day makes these splurges not only okay but justified.

— jennifer still, Bon Appetit, "Can We All Stop With This "Cheat Day" Eating Already?," 19 June 2018
Those who selectively use the Bible to justify this cruelty are ignoring a central tenet of Christianity.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Every Living First Lady Opposes What's Happening at the Border," 18 June 2018
Once blazing fast, next-generation 5G wireless networks start to become a reality in 2019 and beyond, such content offerings could get more compelling while also helping the carriers justify higher prices.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "Do new unlimited plans from Sprint, Verizon signal start of a new cell-phone price war?," 14 June 2018
Rodgers’ hot streak is part of an impressive first full season in AA, justifying his No.

— christopher hanna, courant.com, "Keeping Up With The Yard Goats: Schaeffer Not Worried About Recent Struggles, Rodgers On A Roll," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'justify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of justify

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

justify Synonyms

Phrases

stand up for, stick up for;

Synonym Discussion of 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

JUSTIFY Defined for English Language Learners

justify

verb

Definition of justify for English Language Learners

: to provide or be a good reason for (something) : to prove or show (something) to be just, right, or reasonable
: to provide a good reason for the actions of (someone)
: to position (text) so that the edges form a straight line