Definition of justnext
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as in only
nothing more than I was just kidding

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in right
as stated or indicated without the slightest difference the length of the curtain is just right

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective just differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of just are conscientious, honest, honorable, scrupulous, and upright. While all these words mean "having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right," just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable.

workers given just compensation

How are the words conscientious and scrupulous related as synonyms of just?

Both conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience.

conscientious in the completion of her assignments
scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will

Where would honest be a reasonable alternative to just?

In some situations, the words honest and just are roughly equivalent. However, honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness.

known for being honest in business dealings

When might honorable be a better fit than just?

While in some cases nearly identical to just, honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty.

a difficult but honorable decision

When is upright a more appropriate choice than just?

The synonyms upright and just are sometimes interchangeable, but upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles.

a stern and upright minister

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 just
Adverb
Huffman, who represents a sprawling slice of Northern California, reaching from the Bay Area to the Oregon border, is one of just four members (out of more than 500) who are openly agnostic or religiously unaffiliated. Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 Jason Polanco left behind nearly all of his belongings when he and his colleagues, who were just starting their work day, were told to evacuate their Midtown Manhattan office building Tuesday. Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
Adjective
But Lumumba was far more than a just politician. Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 24 June 2026 Instead of cumbersome stakes and poles, the tent obtains its shape with just air. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for just
Recent Examples of Synonyms for just
Adverb
  • Boards that keep these in separate reporting lanes will miss exactly the compound failures that matter.
    Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • Spain’s Pau Cubarsi is at the heart of a defense that has allowed exactly zero goals through five World Cup matches.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Adverb
  • Early on, pressure for more frequent disclosure came not from government regulators, who barely existed before 1934, but from investors.
    Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Paris — As France braces for another heatwave, it’s barely recovered from the last one.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Adverb
  • Potentially, this is why the digital artefacts in the time capsule are only in the Notes app; there’s no need to ask Apple for permission to access the iPhone’s core functionality to open them.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • But Vakulenko of Carnegie believes supply problems in Moscow are real, thanks not only to the June attacks but multiple strikes on refineries in the surrounding regions that supply the capital.
    Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Adverb
  • Finding vintage pants that fit just right is nearly impossible.
    Irene Richardson, InStyle, 8 July 2026
  • But a new scenic highway — now the heavily-trafficked Palos Verdes Drive — also opened in 1926, connecting burgeoning Redondo Beach and San Pedro and passing right by the lighthouse.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Adverb
  • When temperatures drop simply add a tailored topper, à la Erdem and Magda Butrym.
    Rosie Jarman, Vogue, 10 July 2026
  • Rather than simply suggesting Talarico is weak on border security or inflation economics, Paxton’s campaign has taken a different rhetorical approach.
    David Rooney, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
Adverb
  • Even before this manicure, pickles have been finding their unlikely way into the beauty world lately.
    Marci Robin, Allure, 9 July 2026
  • Founded in 2021 as a wholesale marketplace for preloved fashion, Fleek has lately reframed itself as an AI native that wants to use AI to digitize how the global secondhand fashion market works.
    Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 9 July 2026
Adjective
  • The goal is to reach justified confidence as fast as possible.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The answers to those questions are ‘not really’ and ‘probably not’, even if there’s justified criticism that Tuchel prioritised physicality, athleticism and versatility over technical quality.
    Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • And Marte has already experienced professional success in Japan, making a return to NPB a logical next step after his latest setback in North America.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Taking the idea a step further, the authors took 940 problems from three math benchmark datasets and used an LLM to break down their logical structure into a set of premises and a final question.
    Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Just.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/just. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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