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- pronunciation:
- juh
stih
faI
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb), Grammatical Patterns, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
justifies, justifying, justified |
| definition 1: |
to demonstrate (something) to be true or valid.
You'll need solid evidence to justify your claim.- synonyms:
- back, back up, demonstrate, prove, substantiate, vindicate
- similar words:
- alibi, confirm, corroborate, defend, explain, legitimize, support, uphold, validate, verify
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| definition 2: |
to find or give reasonable grounds for (some action or decision), or to ascribe honorable motives to (some action or decision).
I can't justify your spending so much money on clothes.[verb + possessive adj + gerund
]
He justified his decision to stay, saying it was best for his wife and children, although the truth was that he was afraid to make the change.She tried to justify her betrayal of her friend, but in the end she could not rid herself of guilt.He justified eating a big dinner by reminding himself that he hadn't had lunch.[verb + gerund
]
I can't even justify to myself why I did this awful thing.[verb + to smby/smth + object
]
- synonyms:
- legitimize, rationalize, substantiate
- similar words:
- account, alibi, authorize, corroborate, defend, explain, support, uphold
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| definition 3: |
to serve as adequate reason or reasonable grounds; warrant.
We believe that the vicious nature of this crime justifies such severe punishment.The police claimed that the suspect was armed and dangerous and that this justified their use of force.- synonyms:
- warrant
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| definition 4: |
to absolve of sin or error; declare or make free of blame or guilt.
He's done many good things, but it doesn't justify him in his actions in this case.- synonyms:
- absolve, clear, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate
- similar words:
- acquit, alibi, excuse, forgive, pardon, redeem
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| definition 5: |
to make (margins or lines of type) even throughout a text by setting the spacing of each line.
The word processing program justifies the margins for you automatically.- similar words:
- margin, space
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| related words: |
apologize, clear, establish, maintain, substantiate, sustain |
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| derivation: |
justified (adj.) |
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