What does justify mean?
Definitions for justify
ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪjus·ti·fy
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word justify.
Princeton's WordNet
justify, warrant(verb)
show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
"The emergency does not warrant all of us buying guns"; "The end justifies the means"
justify, vindicate(verb)
show to be right by providing justification or proof
"vindicate a claim"
apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationalise(verb)
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
"rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"
absolve, justify, free(verb)
let off the hook
"I absolve you from this responsibility"
justify(verb)
adjust the spaces between words
"justify the margins"
Wiktionary
justify(Verb)
To provide an acceptable explanation for.
Etymology: From justificare, from justus, iustus, + ficare, from facere.
justify(Verb)
To be a good, acceptable reason for; warrant.
Nothing can justify your rude behaviour last night.
Etymology: From justificare, from justus, iustus, + ficare, from facere.
justify(Verb)
To arrange (text) on a page or a computer screen such that the left and right ends of all lines within paragraphs are aligned.
The text will look better justified.
Etymology: From justificare, from justus, iustus, + ficare, from facere.
justify(Verb)
To absolve, and declare to be free of blame or sin
Etymology: From justificare, from justus, iustus, + ficare, from facere.
Webster Dictionary
Justify(adj)
to prove or show to be just; to vindicate; to maintain or defend as conformable to law, right, justice, propriety, or duty
Justify(adj)
to pronounce free from guilt or blame; to declare or prove to have done that which is just, right, proper, etc.; to absolve; to exonerate; to clear
Justify(adj)
to treat as if righteous and just; to pardon; to exculpate; to absolve
Justify(adj)
to prove; to ratify; to confirm
Justify(adj)
to make even or true, as lines of type, by proper spacing; to adjust, as type. See Justification, 4
Justify(verb)
to form an even surface or true line with something else; to fit exactly
Justify(verb)
to take oath to the ownership of property sufficient to qualify one's self as bail or surety
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Justify
jus′ti-fī, v.t. to make just: to prove or show to be just or right: to vindicate: to absolve:—pr.p. jus′tifying; pa.p. jus′tified.—adj. Justifī′able, that may be justified or defended.—n. Justifī′ableness.—adv. Justifī′ably.—n. Justificā′tion, vindication: absolution: a plea of sufficient reason for.—adjs. Jus′tificātive, Jus′tificātory, having power to justify.—n. Jus′tifier, one who defends, or vindicates: he who pardons and absolves from guilt and punishment.—Justification by faith, the doctrine that men are justified by faith in Christ. [Fr.,—L. justificāre—justus, just, facĕre, to make.]
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'justify' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4473
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'justify' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4377
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'justify' in Verbs Frequency: #429
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of justify in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of justify in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of justify in a Sentence
The inspector general's report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a William Barr presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions, that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken, it is also clear that, from its inception the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory.
Goldcorp Chief Executive Chuck Jeannes:
It's hard to explain what has stood in the way, other than things were working the way they were and the margins weren't particularly high, so it was hard to justify big investments.
How do I justify that to my kids? That we’re making money by selling a drug that’s still illegal under federal law.
They are going to have to do an awful lot to get the company's fundamentals to justify that kind of valuation.
Putin called and said, 'I know you were called by pranksters; don't get offended by those guys, they are harmless, though this certainly does not justify their actions,'.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for justify
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- بررArabic
- justificarCatalan, Valencian
- ospravedlnit, obhájit, zarovnatCzech
- retfærdiggøreDanish
- ausrichten, rechtfertigen, justierenGerman
- δικαιολογώ, δικαιώνω, ευθυγραμμίζω, αιτιολογώ, στοιχίζωGreek
- justificar, legitimar, absolverSpanish
- perustella, tasata, oikeuttaaFinnish
- justifierFrench
- indokol, igazolHungarian
- giustificareItalian
- 言い開くJapanese
- justifyLatin
- tautoko, whakawhaihuruhuru, whaihuruhuruMāori
- rechtvaardigen, uitlijnenDutch
- wyjustować, usprawiedliwiaćPolish
- absolver, justificarPortuguese
- выравнивать, оправдывать, оправдать, обосновыватьRussian
- arsyetoj, shpjegojAlbanian
- frita från skuldSwedish
- biện hộVietnamese
- 辯解Chinese
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Translation
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"justify." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 19 Jan. 2021. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/justify>.