What does “justify” mean?
- 1
verbto give a good reason for something that others think is wrong
How can you justify spending so much money?
- 2
verbto be a good reason for something
The results justified the cost of the research.
Justify at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈdʒʌstəˌfaɪ/ · JUS-tuh-fy
- Forms
- justified, justifies
How to use “justify” correctly
Common in essay questions: “Justify your answer” means give reasons and evidence.
Common phrases with “justify”
- justify a decision
- justify the cost
- fully justified
- the end justifies the means
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- justification
- justifiable
- unjustified
“justify” is on these word lists
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