justified
adjective
jus·ti·fied
ˈjə-stə-ˌfīd 
1
: having or shown to have a just, right, or reasonable basis
a justified punishment
a justified reputation for toughness
Such work calls for a combination of training and talent that few can lay justified claim to …—
Bernard Knox
Bernard Knox2
typography
a
: aligned evenly at the margin
a justified line of text
In justified composition, where the type must be flush with both the left and right margins, the machine will automatically expand or condense the word space or hyphenate end-of-line words to fill up the line measure.—Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree
Ray Blair and Thomas M. Destree
b
: made even by spacing lines of text
a document with justified margins
Synonyms
Examples of justified in a Sentence
in a well-justified ruling the court voted unanimously to overturn the law
the use of force to capture the armed fugitive was fully justified
Recent Examples on the Web
Since no one can or will give such a guarantee, Israel is absolutely justified and morally correct in continuing its military action in Gaza.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 June 2024
The commission had contemplated including an accusation of making unfounded allegations of racial bias as one of the justified grounds for Bowden-Lewis’s dismissal, but failed to include it in the long, legal memo made public Tuesday.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
The three servings per day recommendation, in Willett and Ludwig’s view, is not scientifically justified.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 31 May 2024
The savagery that emerges from Daniel’s paranoia — or justified certainty?
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for justified 
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 June 2024
The commission had contemplated including an accusation of making unfounded allegations of racial bias as one of the justified grounds for Bowden-Lewis’s dismissal, but failed to include it in the long, legal memo made public Tuesday.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
The three servings per day recommendation, in Willett and Ludwig’s view, is not scientifically justified.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 31 May 2024
The savagery that emerges from Daniel’s paranoia — or justified certainty?
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for justified
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'justified.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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