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Justify Common

Origin: Latin suffix -ify

Justify has 4 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Verb
1

show to be right by providing justification or proof

"vindicate a claim"

2

(used of God) declare innocent; absolve from the penalty of sin

"In his mercy, God will justify every soul that turns to Him in faith."

3

adjust the spaces between words

"justify the margins"

4

To provide an acceptable explanation for.

"The manager had to justify her decision to cancel the event due to unexpected weather conditions."

In plain English: To justify something means to show that it is right, fair, or has good reasons for happening.

"He could not justify his spending so much money on unnecessary items."

Usage: Use justify when you need to offer a valid reason or defense for someone's actions, rather than simply describing the act of aligning text in paragraphs. This verb is often confused with validate, but while validation confirms truth, justification provides the underlying cause that makes an action acceptable.

Example Sentences
"He could not justify his spending so much money on unnecessary items." verb
"You need to justify your late arrival with a good reason." verb
"The new rules do not justify breaking the old ones." verb
"He tried to justify his poor grades by blaming the teacher." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
uphold absolve adjust
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
excuse legitimate warrant

Origin

The word justify comes from the Latin phrase justificare, which literally means "to make just." It entered English through Middle French and Old French with this same sense of rendering something right or lawful.

Rhyming Words
ify reify waify edify deify unify ignify nidify wikify verify ramify minify aerify ossify sanify finify munify ethify notify omnify
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