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 decision to move on from Richardson is justifiable.
—
James Boyd, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
The county’s fear of losing funding is justifiable, said Aubrey Jewett, professor and associate director of the school of politics, security, and international affair at the University of Central Florida.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
For example, several agents might call another in sequence, each for reasons that seem justifiable.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Aug. 2025
No criminal charges were filed at the time because investigators determined that the shooting was justifiable, as Walker had fired at cops first.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
James Boyd, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
The county’s fear of losing funding is justifiable, said Aubrey Jewett, professor and associate director of the school of politics, security, and international affair at the University of Central Florida.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
For example, several agents might call another in sequence, each for reasons that seem justifiable.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Aug. 2025
No criminal charges were filed at the time because investigators determined that the shooting was justifiable, as Walker had fired at cops first.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
-
The acquisition would provide Apple with an immediate AI search capability that could transform both Siri and Safari, giving the company a legitimate competitor to Google’s search dominance.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In his June ruling, Judge Alsup agreed with Anthropic's argument, stating the company's use of books by the plaintiffs to train their AI model was acceptable.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Reconciliation was acceptable only on the white South’s terms.—
Time,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Last season, Bigsby showed a lot of promise as a viable backfield option.—
Kevin McCormick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The most viable option to advance with the bill, said Portela, is to merge it with another bill also dealing with VOD regulation.—
Marcelo Cajueiro,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
So there is no logic or any rational decisions made.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The appellate court had held that the INS could not rely on these immigration sweeps but, rather, needed to articulate objective facts and rational inferences to support a reasonable suspicion that each person detained is undocumented.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bondi could argue that her actions set a reasonable expectation that public officials should conduct themselves with respect towards other branches of government.—
Andrew Binns,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said their restraining order only prevented federal agents from making stops without reasonable suspicion, in line with the Constitution and Court precedent.—
Dan Gooding
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Firms with defensible Level 2 self-assessments and complete, current artifacts will move faster on awards where third-party certification is not yet required.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The United States is a sovereign nation with defensible borders—a homeland that protects our national interests, defends our distinctly American people, and promotes lasting peace and prosperity.—
Riley Moore,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share