Justify — Jus ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Justified}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Justifying}.] [F. justifier, L. justificare; justus just + ficare (in comp.) to make. See {Just}, a., and { fy}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To prove or show to be just; to vindicate; to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
justify — jus·ti·fy / jəs tə ˌfī/ vb fied, fy·ing vt 1: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable does not justify a denial of bail 2: to show to have had a legally sufficient reason or cause a defendant may not set up his own standard of conduct… … Law dictionary
justify — 1 vindicate, defend, *maintain, assert Analogous words: *prove, demonstrate: *support, uphold, back Contrasted words: *disprove, refute, confute 2 account, rationalize, * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
justify — [jus′tə fī΄] vt. justified, justifying [ME justifien < OFr justifier < LL (chiefly Ec.) justificare, to act justly toward, justify < L justus,JUST1 + ficare < facere, to DO1] 1. to show to be just, right, or in accord with reason;… … English World dictionary
Justify — Jus ti*fy, v. i. 1. (Print.) To form an even surface or true line with something else; to fit exactly. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) To take oath to the ownership of property sufficient to qualify one s self as bail or surety. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
justify — (v.) c.1300, to administer justice; late 14c., to show (something) to be just or right, from O.Fr. justifiier submit to court proceedings (12c.), from L. iustificare act justly toward, make just, from iustificus dealing justly, righteous, from… … Etymology dictionary
justify — [v] legitimize, substantiate absolve, acquit, advocate, alibi*, answer for, apologize for, approve, argue for, assert, be answerable for, bear out, brief, claim, clear, condone, confirm, contend, cop a plea*, countenance, crawl, defend, do… … New thesaurus
justify — ► VERB (justifies, justified) 1) prove to be right or reasonable. 2) be a good reason for. 3) Printing adjust (text) so that the lines of type fill a given width exactly, forming a straight right edge. DERIVATIVES justification noun justificatory … English terms dictionary
justify — verb ADVERB ▪ really, truly ▪ Can you really justify the destruction of such a fine old building? ▪ easily ▪ The university could not easily justify spending the money on this. ▪ … Collocations dictionary
justify */*/ — UK [ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ] / US [ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ] verb [transitive] Word forms justify : present tense I/you/we/they justify he/she/it justifies present participle justifying past tense justified past participle justified 1) a) to show that there is a good… … English dictionary
