1
as in reasonable
based on sound reasoning or information
in a well-justified ruling the court voted unanimously to overturn the law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deserved
being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong
the use of force to capture the armed fugitive was fully justified
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in explained
to be an acceptable reason for
you seem to think that losing a basketball game justifies a temper tantrum
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in defended
to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections
failed to justify the need for a war at this time
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of justified
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Still, many have remained behind bars with stiffer than justified penalties for nonviolent drug offenses.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 23 Jan. 2025
Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2025
Scott, who considers Stiller both his boss and a friend, justified the show’s painstaking development process as necessary for quality control.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for justified
Adjective
Many Reddit users praised the dealer's strategy, seeing it as a justified response to the coworker's actions.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Still, many have remained behind bars with stiffer than justified penalties for nonviolent drug offenses.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
Is another cycle of stadium building justified?
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2025
Scott, who considers Stiller both his boss and a friend, justified the show’s painstaking development process as necessary for quality control.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for justified
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justified
Adjective
-
With a reasonable $3.5 million cap hit for another two years, this is the kind of reclamation project the Penguins should be investing in.—
Shayna Goldman,
The Athletic,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Los Angeles or even Texas would be reasonable guesses, but the answer is much more interesting.—
Joyce Chen,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And while the attention for both is well deserved, there’s so much more to the country than those two spotlight-grabbing cities.—
Christina Liao,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Bournemouth and Fulham have left Tyneside with deserved victories and Howe has appeared reluctant to use his replacements early.—
Sam Lee,
The Athletic,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In a press release that was translated from Hebrew to English, the university explained that the artifacts date back to the Hellenistic period.—
Andrea Margolis,
Fox News,
6 Jan. 2025
-
The 2025 Golden Globes, explained The past few years, they've also been photographed at events like the US Open Men's Final and Beyoncé's birthday concert in 2023.—
David Oliver,
USA TODAY,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
While Dylan’s first album with Columbia Records wasn’t a big commercial success, Cash, a Columbia Records artist, defended it, so the label didn’t drop Dylan, according to Gray.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
TIME,
25 Dec. 2024
-
Moore, a former four-star recruit, has started seven games — including the College Playoff win over Indiana — and ranks fifth among freshmen nationally with 10 passes defended.—
Manny Navarro,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Not everyone was on the same page, as some commentators maintained that Lively had behaved rudely to Kjersti Flaa in that infamous interview and had a problematic past.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Even amid stressful late-game scenarios, Washington’s quarterback, whose EKG might have appeared flatlined since he seemingly never gets rattled, maintained his calm approach.—
Ben Standig,
The Athletic,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There is no length societies will not go to, no absurd logical leap people won’t take to recast our simple, human act of survival as something dirty and shameful.—
Amanda Nguyen,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
-
As Lucas puts together his staff, Moran is a logical choice.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As Reuters reports, Indonesia's Ministry of Industry has upheld its ban on the iPhone 16 because Apple has yet to meet its domestic content rules.—
Jibin Joseph,
PCMAG,
8 Jan. 2025
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Although the Supreme Court upheld the protection of the snail darter, President Jimmy Carter would intervene the following year, signing legislation that exempted the Tennessee project from the ESA, leading to its eventual completion.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Adopt a zero-tolerance approach: Document every incident thoroughly with legal experts and witnesses, distinguishing valid concerns from smear campaigns, false claims or prejudice.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
However, some argue that prosecutors regularly drop cases for legal reasons and that the Justice Department may have had valid grounds for doing so.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justified. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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