justify

verb jus·ti·fy \ ˈjə-stə-ˌfī \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

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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

Were Democratic worries about California justified?

— CBS News, "Five quick takeaways from Tuesday's big primaries," 6 June 2018
Williams, ever the picture of grace and sophistication, did not respond by immediately barfing in Simons’s lap, or doing the jerk-off motion with her hand, either of which would have been justified.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Serena Williams Shuts Down Bizarre, Sexist Question From Reporter," 4 June 2018
The iPhone 8 and iPhone X were designed with AR specifically in mind, and Apple will use this conference to try to convince developers to dream up AR killer apps that justify the investment. Likelihood: Very high.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "WWDC 2018: What we expect Apple to announce on June 4," 1 June 2018
Cohen’s concerns about privilege are entirely justified, his own non-lawyerly dealings with major corporations hoping to curry favor with the Trump administration notwithstanding.

— cristian farias, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Michael Cohen and Michael Avenatti Both Had a Bad Day in Court," 31 May 2018
But the system of repression in the province goes far beyond anything that would be justified by such proclivities and affiliations.

— The Economist, "China has turned Xinjiang into a police state like no other," 31 May 2018
That’s a rationalization that could justify almost any unethical or risky decision.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Controversial Google Military AI Contract Fuels AI Regulation Debate," 30 May 2018
How was the construction of the current order originally justified and in whose name should it be preserved?

— peter slezkine, The New Republic, "What Happened to the “Free World”?," 22 May 2018
Derby third Audible will be absent, further justifying the claims of the favorite.

— rob hodgetts, CNN, "Kentucky Derby winner Justify hot favorite for the Preakness Stakes," 18 May 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