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
While that number has been met with justified skepticism from most fans, there's apparently plenty of support within the sport.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
But policies that make the economy fairer for the populace are more justified than ever.
—Alexander Heffner, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
There are checks that aren’t being processed in a timely fashion, constituents have sued the TTC office after being assessed egregious fines that weren’t justified, and phone wait times are over two hours.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Now we’re told this is all justified.
—Daryl Campbell, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for justified
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
But policies that make the economy fairer for the populace are more justified than ever.
—Alexander Heffner, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
There are checks that aren’t being processed in a timely fashion, constituents have sued the TTC office after being assessed egregious fines that weren’t justified, and phone wait times are over two hours.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Now we’re told this is all justified.
—Daryl Campbell, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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