justified

adjective

jus·​ti·​fied ˈjə-stə-ˌfīd 

1

: having or shown to have a just, right, or reasonable basis

a justified punishment

a justified reputation for toughness

Such work calls for a combination of training and talent that few can lay justified claim to …

—Bernard Knox

2

typography

a

: aligned evenly at the margin

a justified line of text

In justified composition, where the type must be flush with both the left and right margins, the machine will automatically expand or condense the word space or hyphenate end-of-line words to fill up the line measure.

—Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree

b

: made even by spacing lines of text

a document with justified margins

Synonyms of justified

• reasonable
• reasoned
• logical
• valid
• good
• rational
• sensible

Examples of justified in a Sentence

in a well-justified ruling the court voted unanimously to overturn the law

the use of force to capture the armed fugitive was fully justified

Recent Examples on the Web

The justified issue with this latest Cowboys-Arlington deal Ross did not return a call to the Star-Telegram. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026

But the federal monitor in place since that ruling has repeatedly said that even when officers conduct a legally justified stop, the subsequent frisk or more invasive search is too often not justified. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026

There are no great discoveries here, á la Young Mazino in Season 1 — just professionals demonstrating why their success is so justified. —Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Not all homicides are murders, such as justified killings and negligent deaths. —Wendi C. Thomas, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for justified

• actinide
• aldehyde
• alkoxide
• alongside
• amplified
• arsenide
• beautified
• biocide
• butoxide
• calcified
• ceramide
• certified