justify

jus·ti·fy | \ ˈjə-stə-ˌfī

justified; justifying

Definition of justify

1a : 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

2a : 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

3a : 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

1a : 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

Other Words from justify Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about justify

Keep scrolling for more

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 President Donald Trump has appeared to justify the violent occupation of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump officials resign after Capitol mayhem," 7 Jan. 2021 The issue now is whether Ohio State can justify being given that spot by giving Clemson a game. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Ohio State under pressure to prove it belongs in Playoff semifinal," 31 Dec. 2020 Di Maria hopes to justify her attribution by presenting a 60-page paper on the artwork once Italy lifts lockdown restrictions associated with Covid-19. — Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, "Art Historian Claims a Newly Discovered Drawing Is the Work of Leonardo da Vinci," 23 Nov. 2020 For sake of optics—and to ensure the health and safety of athletes, Warren insisted—the league needed a way to justify its about face. — Laine Higgins, WSJ, "Big Ten Football Returns—as Covid-19 Surges in the Midwest," 23 Oct. 2020 The political press used to be able to halfway justify its neglect of the environment by noting that voters didn’t prioritize it very highly. — Gilad Edelman, Wired, "There Are No Excuses Left for Leaving Climate Change Out of the Debates," 24 Sep. 2020 Apple attempts to justify these fees by arguing that the App Store is no different from a mall, where companies seeking to offer their products must pay rent to the owner of the mall (in this case, Apple). — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, "ProtonMail founder: Apple uses monopoly to “hold all of us hostage”," 3 Aug. 2020 Far less effort was put into the interior, which is standard Toyota fare with additional wood and leather to help justify the Classic's big price. — Scott Oldham, Car and Driver, "12 Cool Cars Finally Legal for U.S. Import in 2021," 21 Dec. 2020 Three years later, all this information would be used to help justify Raslan’s arrest. — Nate Berg, The New Republic, "The Man Who Wants to Take Down Bashar Al Assad," 14 Dec. 2020

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about justify

Dictionary Entries near justify

Statistics for justify

Last Updated

26 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Justify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justify. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for justify

justify

verb

English Language Learners Definition of justify

: 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)

technical : to position (text) so that the edges form a straight line

See the full definition for justify in the English Language Learners Dictionary

justify

verb

jus·ti·fy | \ ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī

justified; justifying

Kids Definition of justify

: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable How can you justify your actions?

justify

verb

jus·ti·fy | \ ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī

justified; justifying

Legal Definition of justify

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)

Keep scrolling for more