Word family noun justification adjective justifiable ≠ unjustifiable justified ≠ unjustified verb justify adverb justifiably ≠ unjustifiably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishjustifyjus‧ti‧fy /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL verb (justified, justifying, justifies) [transitive] 1 REASONto give an acceptable explanation for something that other people think is unreasonable Ministers must appear before Parliament and justify their actions.justify doing something How can we justify spending so much money on arms?justify yourself (=prove that what you are doing is reasonable) I don’t have to justify myself to you or anyone else.2 RIGHT/JUSTIFIEDto be a good and acceptable reason for something Nothing justifies murdering another human being.3 technical to arrange lines of words on a page or computer screen so that they form a straight edge on both the right and left sides→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
justify• No matter what the circumstances, street violence cannot be justified.• Torcuato is a murderer, but his crime can be justified.• How can you justify a 200% pay rise!• How can you possibly justify charging four pounds for a glass of beer.• I don't think anyone can justify spending so much money on weapons.• There is not enough evidence to justify such accusations.• People try to justify the breakdown of their marriage by blaming their spouse.• The issue is whether the benefits justify the costs.• How can you justify the expense?justify yourself• I gather the decision has barely justified itself.• Why should we try to justify ourselves according to the breeder standards?• Governments interested in publicity and propaganda have published much under the impulse of the urge to justify themselves and vilify their opponents.• An economic system justifies itself by pointing to the wealth it produces, and an educational establishment to skills and knowledge.• And what do I usually do but justify myself, like a fool.• Why was she justifying herself so, I wondered.• I won't have staff justifying themselves to me.• Speakers also justify themselves to those who might be perceived as being similar to the self.Origin justify (1300-1400) French justifier, from Late Latin justificare, from Latin justus; → JUST2 