Meaning & use

justify

verb·Academic

To give reasons or evidence showing that a choice, claim, or action is reasonable.

See it in a sentence

Justify your answer with a calculation.

The team had to justify the cost of the new equipment.

A note on using this word

Justify a decision means explain why it is reasonable; simply repeating the decision does not justify it.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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