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
Bernard Knox2
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
Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree
b
: made even by spacing lines of text
a document with justified margins
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
Ned says his cancellation wasn’t just justified.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
But Bob’s behavior, One Battle After Another argues, is also entirely justified because of the terrifying brutality of the world—a reality that crashes into Bob’s hazy reverie to create an electrifying, thoughtful blockbuster.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Google has achieved this by replacing the current album titles at the bottom-left with a new, much larger version, center-justified and presented in all caps.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Today, as the world's justified horror at the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza grows, that work has taken on new urgency.
—Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
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Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
But Bob’s behavior, One Battle After Another argues, is also entirely justified because of the terrifying brutality of the world—a reality that crashes into Bob’s hazy reverie to create an electrifying, thoughtful blockbuster.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Google has achieved this by replacing the current album titles at the bottom-left with a new, much larger version, center-justified and presented in all caps.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Today, as the world's justified horror at the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza grows, that work has taken on new urgency.
—Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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