as in legitimate
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
had justifiable reasons for leaving early
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Recent Examples of justifiable
The administration has argued in favor of gun rights in other cases, but government lawyers say this law is a justifiable restriction.
—
Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
In turn, Podziemski’s game morphed from something young, fresh, and exciting into a stale loaf of bread, drawing the justifiable ire of Warriors fans everywhere.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
My position is that those strikes in 2025 were not legally justifiable and also that strikes now would likewise not be justifiable.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
The Interior Department is also poised to insist the new course will be a better option for golfers, and thus its decision making is reasonable and justifiable.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026
In turn, Podziemski’s game morphed from something young, fresh, and exciting into a stale loaf of bread, drawing the justifiable ire of Warriors fans everywhere.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
My position is that those strikes in 2025 were not legally justifiable and also that strikes now would likewise not be justifiable.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
The Interior Department is also poised to insist the new course will be a better option for golfers, and thus its decision making is reasonable and justifiable.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
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Voting-rights advocates warned those two provisions — among a long list of changes in state election law — could prevent thousands of citizens who are legitimate Florida voters from casting ballots.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
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If the debt is legitimate and the amount is correct, responding to the lawsuit also opens the door for settlement negotiations.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Coupled with a significant degradation of Iranian military power, something already underway, these objectives would constitute an acceptable end to the war.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Smaller churches, synagogues and mosques are open in Jerusalem’s Old City if they are located within a certain distance of a bomb shelter deemed acceptable by Israel’s military and if gatherings are kept under 50 people.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The safe, defendable choice wasn’t necessarily the right one though.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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By addressing both material limitations and economic constraints, this breakthrough represents an important step toward making fusion a viable and scalable energy solution for the future.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Yet Kennedy’s trajectory suggests that even in a corporate landscape defined by job-hopping, the conventional route of building range and credibility at a single employer remains a viable one for younger workers.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The lawsuit claims that Missouri lawmakers used no rational basis to categorize which counties qualified for a 5% cap, a freeze or neither.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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When medicated, Lofton is thoughtful and rational, just like in years past, his mother said.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In 2012, 73 percent of Coloradans approved Amendment 65, which instructs our legislature and congressional delegation to support a federal constitutional amendment allowing reasonable limits on campaign spending.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Afterward, in his hallway scrum with mostly local reporters, Auriemma settled down and was more himself, more reasonable.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The vehicle is easily maintainable and highly adaptable to meet diverse mission and operational needs, according to a press release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Mar. 2026
-
This will be crucial for ensuring the resulting code is easily maintainable by human engineers, but Josh Triplett, an open source developer who contributes to the Rust project, says this may prove challenging.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cross-border enforceability must be defensible under scrutiny.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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Ideas move quickly, but within boundaries that feel measurable and defensible.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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