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
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
The justified accusation that the carbon footprint of a child from a rich nation was gigantic compared to that of a child from a poorer nation (except those from elite families) thickening the political smog obscuring the raw ecological toll of adding eighty million a year to the human population.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
Penalized For all the justified focus on the offense, the Padres’ season has largely been a tale of two bullpens.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Many others are exploring the power of digital twins in healthcare, and there’s justified optimism about the potential benefits at stake.
—Mika Newton, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The protean hatred of Jews is always justified, and never justifiable.
—Rabbi David Wolpe, Time, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
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Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
Penalized For all the justified focus on the offense, the Padres’ season has largely been a tale of two bullpens.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Many others are exploring the power of digital twins in healthcare, and there’s justified optimism about the potential benefits at stake.
—Mika Newton, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The protean hatred of Jews is always justified, and never justifiable.
—Rabbi David Wolpe, Time, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for justified
Cite this Entry
“Justified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justified. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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