Pronunciation: /ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ/

Definitions of justify

noun a reason, fact, circumstance, or explanation that justifies or defends

Example Sentences

A1 I need to provide a justification for my absence from work.

A2 The teacher asked the students to write a justification for their answers.

B1 The company requested a justification for the budget increase.

B2 The lawyer presented a strong justification for the defendant's actions.

C1 The politician struggled to provide a convincing justification for their controversial decision.

C2 The scientist's research paper included a detailed justification for their experimental methods.

verb to show or prove to be right or reasonable

Example Sentences

A1 I justify my decision to eat ice cream because it was a hot day.

A2 She tried to justify her actions by explaining the reasons behind them.

B1 The company had to justify their price increase to the customers.

B2 The defendant tried to justify their actions in court.

C1 The scientist was able to justify their hypothesis with strong experimental evidence.

C2 It is important to justify your arguments with solid reasoning in academic writing.

adjective having a valid reason or explanation

Example Sentences

A1 I can justify my decision to eat ice cream because it was a hot day.

A2 She tried to justify her actions by explaining her reasoning.

B1 The company had to justify their price increase to the customers.

B2 The lawyer had to justify his client's innocence in court.

C1 The scientist needed to justify her research findings with solid evidence.

C2 It is important for politicians to justify their policies with sound reasoning.

Examples of justify in a Sentence

formal It is important to justify your reasoning with concrete evidence.

informal Can you justify why you need to leave work early?

slang I gotta justify my purchase of these new sneakers to my parents.

figurative Sometimes it's hard to justify our actions in hindsight.

Grammatical Forms of justify

past tense

justified

plural

justifies

comparative

more justified

superlative

most justified

present tense

justify

future tense

will justify

perfect tense

has justified

continuous tense

is justifying

singular

justifies

positive degree

justified

infinitive

to justify

gerund

justifying

participle

justified

Origin and Evolution of justify

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'justify' originated from the Latin word 'justificare', which is a combination of 'justus' meaning 'just' or 'right' and 'facere' meaning 'to make'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in a legal context to mean 'to show or prove to be right or reasonable', the word 'justify' has evolved to also mean 'to be a good reason for' or 'to declare or make righteous'.