unjustified

adjective

un·jus·ti·fied | \ ˌən-ˈjə-stə-ˌfīd

Definition of unjustified

: not justified: such as

a : not demonstrably correct or judicious : not warranted or appropriate unjustified anger 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

That isn't a totally unjustified fear: The wrong wallpaper in the wrong room can at best, transport you back in time and at worst, give you a headache. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "Why You Should Wallpaper Your Ceiling," 14 Dec. 2018 Washington’s law is considered the nation’s most restrictive in holding officers legally accountable for using deadly force found to be unjustified. — Joseph O’sullivan, The Seattle Times, "Washington Supreme Court rules police use-of-force initiative must go on November election ballot," 28 Aug. 2018 The police department has ruled the shooting unjustified and recommended that Trainer be fired. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "D.C. states case for firing police officer who fatally shot an unarmed motorcyclist," 11 Apr. 2018 The photos in his post suggest an unjustified racial overtone that is highly offensive. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "Namesake of University of Mississippi's journalism school under fire over 'offensive' Facebook post," 21 Sep. 2018 Government security forces in Venezuela carry out unjustified killings without any apparent consequences as the rule of law in the country quickly vanishes, a United Nations report charged Friday. — Fox News, "Basic human rights in Venezuela being ‘chiseled away,’ UN report says," 22 June 2018 Their attorneys claimed that the screening practice violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars practices that have an unjustified and disproportionate impact on people because of their race or national origin. — Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, "Target agrees to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination against blacks and Latinos," 5 Apr. 2018 The police department’s internal-affairs division in August declared the shooting unjustified, and officials recommended that Trainer be fired. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "City attorney: Police chase began with D.C. officers angry over a red-light runner and ended in a fatal shooting," 19 Apr. 2018 The next year, the Justice Department’s civil rights arm accused Baltimore’s police of arresting thousands of people without a valid legal basis, using unjustified force and targeting black neighborhoods for unconstitutional stops. — Brad Heath, USA TODAY, "Baltimore police stopped noticing crime after Freddie Gray's death. A wave of killings followed.," 12 July 2018

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