unjustified

adjective

un·​jus·​ti·​fied ˌən-ˈjə-stə-ˌfīd 

: not justified: such as

a

: not demonstrably correct or judicious : not warranted or appropriate

unjustified anger

jumping to unjustified conclusions

an unjustified punishment

b

: not spaced to be even

unjustified lines of text

an unjustified margin

Examples of unjustified in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each character has totally justified and totally unjustified reasons for resenting one another, and the sensation of absorbing those contrasting opinions is like being in a stuck bumper car, barraged and battered from all sides. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026

Within the parameters of a game—where non-player characters essentially function as different disguises for, and manifestations of, a single narrative engine—such paranoia might not be unjustified. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

Then-Police Chief Michel Moore previously found in his own review that all three shots were unjustified. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

France previously denounced their detention as unjustified and unfounded. —Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unjustified

• acetamide
• acetonide
• acidified
• antimonide
• beatified
• benzaldehyde
• borohydride
• chalcogenide
• commodified
• decalcified
• declassified
• disaccharide

Legal Definition

unjustified

adjective

un·​jus·​ti·​fied

ˌən-ˈjəs-tə-ˌfīd

: not justified

an unjustified intrusion