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
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
Revel is gaining justifiable fame for throwing together some very fine cocktails served alongside one of the most legendary burgers in the city.
—Outside, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
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
Revel is gaining justifiable fame for throwing together some very fine cocktails served alongside one of the most legendary burgers in the city.
—Outside, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
-
Many tax relief companies are legitimate, but service quality, pricing and outcomes can vary.—
Adam Palasciano,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The strategic coordination, while aggressive, reflected legitimate political calculations to minimize costly primary contests during an unfavorable midterm environment for Republicans.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Given the magnitude of financial influence in modern campaigns, the public deserves a direct say in whether this system is acceptable.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
But October 7th also contributed to this by raising the bar of what level of violence is considered acceptable in the West Bank.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, there are still many technical challenges to overcome before such a system can become viable for aircraft mounting; namely, cooling and size.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks don’t have the horses to keep up with Los Angeles, but all three remain viable playoff contenders, especially the Padres if their rotation can hold up.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But there are an infinity of curves out there, and nailing down all their rational points seemed impossible—until Faltings’s Theorem, that is.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of having a rational conversation with Nick, Gloria lashes out and the two split.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even if one accepts that perfectly reasonable people are happy to live in a bubble with strangers for months in hopes of achieving love, fame or a cash prize, someone inevitably is cast to bring the crazy, er, conversation-sparking personality.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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That seems like a totally reasonable way of judging her.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 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
-
Ideas move quickly, but within boundaries that feel measurable and defensible.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Officials said homeowners should clear brush and create defensible space.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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