Synonyms for justify
ˈdʒʌs təˌfaɪjus·ti·fy

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.4 / 7 votes

1. justify

   Synonyms:
   absolve, acquit, applaud, approve, exonerate, pardon, pardon, praise

   Antonyms:
   blame, censure, condemn, convict, denounce, doom, reprobate, reprove, sentence

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 4 votes

1. justify

   Synonyms:
   clear, vindicate, exonerate, defend, absolve, excuse

   Antonyms:
   condemn, censure, convict, criminate

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.3 / 7 votes

1. justify, warrantverb

   show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

   "The emergency does not warrant all of us buying guns"; "The end justifies the means"

   Synonyms:
   rationalize, absolve, free, guarantee, apologise, excuse, rationalise, vindicate, apologize, warrant

2. justify, vindicateverb

   show to be right by providing justification or proof

   "vindicate a claim"

   Synonyms:
   rationalize, absolve, free, apologise, excuse, rationalise, vindicate, apologize, warrant

3. apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationaliseverb

   defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

   "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"

   Synonyms:
   condone, apologise, explain, relieve, prune, rationalize, excuse, beg off, vindicate, warrant, cut, let off, apologize, free, rationalise, exempt, absolve, pardon

4. absolve, justify, freeverb

   let off the hook

   "I absolve you from this responsibility"

   Synonyms:
   unloose, relieve, apologise, unloosen, unblock, unfreeze, liberate, rationalize, excuse, vindicate, warrant, discharge, release, give up, apologize, rationalise, loose, disembarrass, resign, dislodge, shrive, relinquish, disengage, rid, exempt, absolve, free

5. justifyverb

   adjust the spaces between words

   "justify the margins"

   Synonyms:
   rationalize, absolve, free, apologise, excuse, rationalise, vindicate, apologize, warrant

Matched Categories

1. • Adjust
   • Printing
   • Uphold

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. justifyverb

   Synonyms:
   vindicate, warrant, defend, maintain, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, set right

2. justifyverb

   Synonyms:
   (Theol.) absolve, acquit, free from sin, clear from guilt

3. justifyverb

   Synonyms:
   (Printing.) adjust

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. justifyverb

   Synonyms:
   vindicate, warrant, excuse, exonorate, exculpate, absolve, defend

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "justify":

   warrant, substantiate, justifying, justified, motivate, legitimise, explain, justification, defend, excuse, legitimize

Suggested Resources

1. Justify

   Warrant vs Justify -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Warrant and Justify.

How to pronounce justify?

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How to use justify in a sentence?

1. Clay Travis:

   Before they pay anybody else, before they pay for all of the facility. Before they pay for anything, they have to get to $14.6 million in advertising revenue just to justify being able to make $100,000 on this show, there are going to be a lot of ESPN employees that watch this show and they’re going to sit around and say: ‘Wait a minute. They fired hundreds of people at this company. How many of them could they have kept and let Michelle Beadle go?’.

2. Ruben Papian:

   Egoistical opinion that a man is the king of nature was created by the man himself, so he can justify his wrong decisions.

3. Andy Carr:

   It is difficult to support or justify a procedure with the potential for serious harm, even if it is rare, when that procedure offers patients no more benefit than placebo.

4. Kittredge Cherry:

   The queer Christ is necessary because conservatives are using Christian rhetoric to justify discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

5. Petula Ho:

   Carrie Lam used Carrie Lam image to justify certain actions and present Carrie Lam as a good mother, as if by virtue of being a mother that [ a positive ] implication is there, but then of course people really don't think she's motherly at all, she is somebody who we think is against ethics of care.