as in legitimate
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
had justifiable reasons for leaving early
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Recent Examples of justifiable
Murders do not include justifiable actions such as self-defense or just cause; homicides do.
—
Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 6 Jan. 2026
Brands like Bagsmart and Travelon are dropping prices to make upgrading your personal item and gifting one totally justifiable.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Dec. 2025
Should paramilitary groups now form in response to the deteriorating security situation, there would be justifiable concerns that history may repeat itself.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
The Athletic's Tim Britton projected him for a six-year, $153 million contract last month, which is justifiable in context, but is also a major expenditure for a soft-tosser who's never qualified for the ERA title.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 6 Jan. 2026
Brands like Bagsmart and Travelon are dropping prices to make upgrading your personal item and gifting one totally justifiable.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Dec. 2025
Should paramilitary groups now form in response to the deteriorating security situation, there would be justifiable concerns that history may repeat itself.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
The Athletic's Tim Britton projected him for a six-year, $153 million contract last month, which is justifiable in context, but is also a major expenditure for a soft-tosser who's never qualified for the ERA title.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
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Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are also examining ransom notes tied to the case, though officials declined to say whether the notes are legitimate or provide details about their contents.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Feb. 2026
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Abrams, the veteran diplomat, said engaging opposition actors, such as Maria Corina Machado, is a core diplomatic responsibility, particularly in a country the United States does not recognize as having a legitimate government.—
Yamlek Mojica Loaisiga,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In healthy people, apoB values less than 90 mg/dL are typically considered acceptable, with some saying lower targets closer to 70 mg/dL may be more optimal for preventing heart disease.—
Akshay Syal,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
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All of that would be perfectly acceptable if the Bulls had picked up a first-round pick for their troubles.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Opportunities that normally would have come easily, like playing on a local recreation league basketball team or getting a part-time job, were no longer viable.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
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Atkinson added that the most successful strikes occur when consumers have viable alternatives to turn to.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Published in eScience, the research’s core innovation lies in the rational integration of photoactivity and electrocatalysis within a single air-electrode architecture.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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Quitting seemed not just possible, but rational.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Under a reasonable definition of the SVOD market, Netflix’s market dominance is impossible to ignore.—
Hal Singer,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
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Offer Choices, Within Limits Offering reasonable levels of freedom and allowing children to make choices is a great way to empower them, build confidence in their decision-making skills, and help build a sense of responsibility.—
Alanna Gallo,
Parents,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, pointed to the concept of defensible borders that emerged after the 1967 Six-Day War.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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This hands-on perspective helps ensure outputs are clinically relevant, immediately actionable, and scientifically defensible.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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