justify

/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjə-stə-ˌfī/ (ame, mw)

justify — verb

  • justifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • justifieshe / she / it
  • justifiedpast simple
  • justifying-ing form

1. To show that an action, decision, or belief is reasonable or necessary by provid

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

To show that an action, decision, or belief is reasonable or necessary by providing good reasons for it.

例句

Sayaka tried to justify her decision by explaining the long-term benefits.

pattern: justify + noun + by + verb-ing

The success of the new policy justifies the risks the team took.

pattern: [thing] + justify + [thing justified]

同義詞
  • defend

    More general and less formal; can mean protecting from attack or criticism, not only through reasoning.

  • warrant

    The subject itself provides the reason, rather than a person giving reasons; often used of results or facts.

  • substantiate

    More formal, focuses on providing evidence or proof rather than moral or practical reasons.

反義詞
  • condemn

    To express strong disapproval of something, the opposite of showing it is reasonable.

  • criticize

    To point out faults in something, rather than defending it.

文法句型

justify + noun

justify + verb-ing

justify + noun + by + verb-ing

用法筆記

Common in formal and academic English. The object of justify can be a noun phrase or a gerund (-ing form), but never a to-infinitive.

常見錯誤

❌The manager justified to increase the budget.
✅The manager justified increasing the budget.
💡justify is followed by a noun or gerund, not a to-infinitive.
❌She justified for being late.
✅She explained the reason for being late.
💡justify is transitive and needs a direct object; you cannot say 'justify for something.'

2. To defend your own actions or decisions by explaining why they were reasonable o

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

To defend your own actions or decisions by explaining why they were reasonable or necessary, especially when someone has questioned or criticised you.

例句

Aarav felt he had to justify himself after missing the team meeting.

reflexive: justify + oneself

Stop trying to justify yourself and simply admit you made a mistake.

imperative with reflexive pronoun

同義詞
  • explain

    More neutral; explaining does not carry the sense of defending against criticism.

  • account for

    Slightly more formal; focuses on giving a reason or explanation for something unexpected or wrong.

文法句型

justify + oneself

justify + possessive + noun

用法筆記

This sense almost always involves a reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, etc.) or a possessive determiner (my, your, his) before the noun describing the action being defended.

常見錯誤

❌He justified for being late.
✅He justified himself for being late.
💡justify is transitive; the reflexive pronoun or a direct object is required.
❌She didn't need to justify.
✅She didn't need to justify herself.
💡when no object is given, the reflexive form is needed to show you mean your own actions.

3. To format a block of written text so that both edges line up evenly by changing

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

To format a block of written text so that both edges line up evenly by changing the gaps between words.

例句

The report looks more professional when you justify the text on both sides.

pattern: justify + [text type] + on both sides

Most novels use fully justified text for a clean printed appearance.

同義詞
  • align

    Broader term; text can be aligned left, right, centre, or justified. Justified is a specific type of alignment.

文法句型

justify + text / paragraph / line

be justified

用法筆記

Technical term used in word processing, desktop publishing, and web design. Often appears in the passive: 'The text is justified.' In computing contexts, this is also called 'full justification' to distinguish from left-aligned or right-aligned text.

常見錯誤

❌I justified the photo in my document.
✅I justified the paragraph in my document.
💡justify in the typography sense only applies to text, not images or other objects.
❌The text is justify.
✅The text is justified.
💡use the past participle form after 'to be.'