as in legitimate
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
had justifiable reasons for leaving early
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of justifiable
The administration has argued in favor of gun rights in other cases, but government lawyers say this law is a justifiable restriction.
—
Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
In turn, Podziemski’s game morphed from something young, fresh, and exciting into a stale loaf of bread, drawing the justifiable ire of Warriors fans everywhere.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
My position is that those strikes in 2025 were not legally justifiable and also that strikes now would likewise not be justifiable.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
The Interior Department is also poised to insist the new course will be a better option for golfers, and thus its decision making is reasonable and justifiable.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
In turn, Podziemski’s game morphed from something young, fresh, and exciting into a stale loaf of bread, drawing the justifiable ire of Warriors fans everywhere.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
My position is that those strikes in 2025 were not legally justifiable and also that strikes now would likewise not be justifiable.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
The Interior Department is also poised to insist the new course will be a better option for golfers, and thus its decision making is reasonable and justifiable.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
-
To review or object to instances where our partners assert a legitimate interest in utilizing your data, please visit our vendors page.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a legitimate concern, but aerobic fitness is an even better predictor of longevity and marker of general health.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Coupled with a significant degradation of Iranian military power, something already underway, these objectives would constitute an acceptable end to the war.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Smaller churches, synagogues and mosques are open in Jerusalem’s Old City if they are located within a certain distance of a bomb shelter deemed acceptable by Israel’s military and if gatherings are kept under 50 people.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The safe, defendable choice wasn’t necessarily the right one though.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
So the team asked for eight hundred and fifty million dollars in infrastructure improvements to make the property viable, along with property-tax relief in Arlington Heights.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Neither the governor nor the Colorado Legislature have the political fortitude to genuinely face the problem and develop viable solutions to ease the burden of Colorado’s property taxes.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If more teams have lottery access and the worst teams don’t gain much by being the worst, then more franchises can justify late-season losing as a rational move.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Condemning Israel for its treatment of Palestinian dreams and aspirations is a rational choice.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Marlins under this owner have no reasonable way out of this rut of building on the cheap toward a future that never gets here.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 27,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Claims against the bank of negligent failure to prevent physical harm and reasonable care as a banking institution, and aiding and abetting trafficking violations in the initial complaint, were dismissed by Rakoff in mid-February.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the key barriers to this transition is ensuring that the reactor components are not just powerful, but also maintainable over several decades of continuous operation.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This will be crucial for ensuring the resulting code is easily maintainable by human engineers, but Josh Triplett, an open source developer who contributes to the Rust project, says this may prove challenging.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Cross-border enforceability must be defensible under scrutiny.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Ideas move quickly, but within boundaries that feel measurable and defensible.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
