justify

American  

[juhs-tuh-fahy] / ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

• justifies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• justified,
  past participle,  past
• justifying
  present participle

1. 

   to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right.

   The end does not always justify the means.

   Synonyms:

   validate, vindicate

2. to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.

   Don't try to justify his rudeness.

   Synonyms:

   excuse

3. Theology. to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit

4. Printing.

   1. to make (a line of type) a desired length by spacing the words and letters, especially so that full lines in a column have even margins both on the left and on the right.

   2. to level and square (a strike).

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verb (used without object)

• justifies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• justified,
  past participle,  past
• justifying
  present participle

1. Law.

   1. to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done.

   2. to qualify as bail or surety.

2. Printing. (of a line of type) to fit exactly into a desired length.

justify British  

/ ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate

   he was certainly justified in taking the money

2. to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate

   his behaviour justifies our suspicion

3. to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve

4. law

   1. to show good reason in court for (some action taken)

   2. to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged)

      to justify a libel

5. (also intr) printing computing to adjust the spaces between words in (a line of type or data) so that it is of the required length or (of a line of type or data) to fit exactly

6. 1. Protestant theol to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner

   2. RC theol to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace

7. (also intr) law to prove (a person) to have sufficient means to act as surety, etc, or (of a person) to qualify to provide bail or surety

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• justifier
  noun
• prejustify
  verb (used with object)
• rejustify
  verb (used with object)
• justifyingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• justifying
  present
• justified
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• justify
  simple
• justifies
  simple
• have justified
  perfect
• has justified
  perfect
• am justifying
  progressive
• are justifying
  progressive
• is justifying
  progressive
• have been justifying
  perfect progressive
• has been justifying
  perfect progressive

Past

• justified
  simple
• had justified
  perfect
• was justifying
  progressive
• were justifying
  progressive
• had been justifying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will justify
  simple
• will have justified
  perfect
• will be justifying
  progressive
• will have been justifying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of justify

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Late Latin jūstificāre, equivalent to Latin jūsti- (combining form of jūstus just ¹ ) + -ficāre -fy

Explanation

To justify is to make excuses for one's actions, like the dieter who has to justify the few tiny pieces of chocolate she's sneaked in between salads. Anyone who has ever made excuses for his or her actions knows the meaning of justify, like the bank robber who justifies his latest heist by claiming he needs the bank's money to support his charitable foundation. He might think he's got a good reason for holding up the bank, but he's going to have a hard time convincing the bank's owner of his reason, or justification. To justify a line of text is to space it so that it lines up with the margin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

justify justifies justified justifying

When I woke up the next morning, I just felt an overwhelming sense of sadness because I felt like the whole night I had to justify myself.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Openness is more than an architectural effect: It depends on having the freedom to enter without having to justify our presence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Most of the revenue needed to justify the heavy investment made to build out artificial-intelligence capabilities is so far unaccounted for, according to a report released Tuesday by the consulting giant Bain & Co.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

But Rossman cautions that such perks often aren’t enough to justify the fees, and may offer only marginal upgrades from cheaper cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“They had a few small mines, yes. But not enough to justify a population of that size. That, I guess, is the only thing we know for sure,” says Twill.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

“Oil prices remain supported by geopolitical risk, but they are retreating from elevated levels because traders are reassessing whether the actual physical impact justifies the earlier panic premium.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Anthropic will have to get to its own market projection without owning a declining microblogging platform, and until its documents are public, we won’t know how the company justifies it.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

Looking to add to their 2010 triumph, Spain would hope Yamal, who will turn 19 on the eve of the tie, picks the semi-final to deliver a performance that justifies his talent.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The final act, during which the friends gather to mourn the death of one of their group, concludes on a deeply affecting note that justifies the expansive length.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Painting a picture that justifies her opinion of him—an underdog cursed with an ungrateful son upon whom he has showered love and concern, only to be infamously treated by that son in return.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

This thought process is somewhat justified, he said, because elevated gas prices can translate to higher inflation overall.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Some of the fears are probably justified, and we should assume that the executives calling for government action believe what they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Having Bryan be defined by his entirely justified terror keeps the audience engaged; the possible ways he might fail seem infinite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

She insisted stats justified the call, but the partnership never gelled, yielding only half a point.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

But gradually her depression lifted, and as she kept rehashing the Town Hall recital in her mind, she came to realize that much of the criticism was justified.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

In justifying that more upbeat outlook, Chipotle’s executives said they still liked their sales momentum overall.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

In the wake of the 1994 genocide, Alison Des Forges, then a senior adviser to Human Rights Watch, pointed to genocide inversion as a central means of justifying the genocide against the Tutsis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The practice is so unusual that an internal waiver justifying the choice is typically required.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

The Times quotes officials justifying the order by saying it would reduce duplication of effort; our own spies wouldn’t bother recruiting someone if they knew he or she was already an agent.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to the occasion’s justifying her coming so far alone.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• advocate
• condone
• confirm
• countenance
• defend
• explain
• favor
• maintain
• rationalize
• support
• sustain
• uphold
• validate
• vindicate
• warrant