Synonyms of justifying

justifying

verb

present participle of justify

1

as in explaining

to be an acceptable reason for

you seem to think that losing a basketball game justifies a temper tantrum

Synonyms & Similar Words

• explaining
• excusing
• ignoring
• rationalizing
• accounting (for)
• condoning
• disregarding
• alibiing
• forgiving
• brushing (aside or off)
• explaining away
• winking (at)
• pardoning
• passing over
• remitting
• glossing (over)
• shrugging off
• glozing (over)

2

as in defending

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections

failed to justify the need for a war at this time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defending
• maintaining
• upholding
• supporting
• advocating
• asserting
• affirming
• proclaiming
• discussing
• confirming
• insisting
• championing
• vindicating
• stating
• arguing
• sticking up for
• pleading
• claiming
• protesting
• standing up for
• emphasizing
• debating
• espousing
• contending
• warranting
• professing
• averring
• stressing
• underscoring
• underlining
• avowing
• avouching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abandoning
• withdrawing
• retracting
• forsaking
• reversing
• switching
• taking back
• refuting
• recanting
• abjuring
• disproving
• rebutting
• controverting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of justifying

Students can, and should, ask themselves at what point the additional health benefits stop justifying the costs in time and money. — John Alexander, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026

The centerpiece of the policy originally was his use of a 1977 law to declare America's longstanding trade deficits a national emergency, justifying double-digit tariffs on almost every country on Earth. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Advocacy groups are fighting to unseal the OLC’s memo justifying the deadly boat strikes in international waters. — Perry Stein, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

But Lewis said justifying camera movements through human mannerisms and tics also made the drone the episode’s poignant exhale. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

The frontier lab’s figures are seen as key to understanding underlying demand for cutting-edge AI models, as well as justifying the huge global spending on tech infrastructure. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Leaders must continue testing whether the assumptions justifying the original decision still hold. — Eric Reicin, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

As the populist argument of the day went, industry leaders had proven reckless, justifying much greater federal control. — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government in Israel is using ancient archaeological heritage as a tool for justifying the seizure of Palestinian land in the West Bank, reports the Financial Times. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026