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
Equally apparent, the justified fear the club has about his arm.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2025
Reddit users were just as quick to praise the pedestrian's actions, seeing the moment as a justified comeback rather than reckless behavior.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
Why this is the simplest solution to the couples’ troubles is never quite justified.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
For his defense, Penny’s lawyers claimed their client’s actions were a justified use of force to defend himself or others on the train.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for justified
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Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2025
Reddit users were just as quick to praise the pedestrian's actions, seeing the moment as a justified comeback rather than reckless behavior.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
Why this is the simplest solution to the couples’ troubles is never quite justified.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
For his defense, Penny’s lawyers claimed their client’s actions were a justified use of force to defend himself or others on the train.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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