justify meaning

justify means to show or prove something is right or reasonable.

justify :

to prove, to show as right

Verb

▪ He justified his decision to leave early.

▪ He showed his decision to leave early was right.

▪ She justified her actions to the manager.

▪ She proved her actions were right to the manager.

paraphrasing

▪ defend – to support as right

▪ explain – to make clear

▪ validate – to confirm as true

▪ rationalize – to make reasonable

justify

Pronunciation

justify [ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ]

The stress is on 'jus' and sounds like 'jus-ti-fy'.

Common phrases and grammar about justify

justify - Common meaning

Verb
to prove, to show as right

Part of Speech Changes for "justify"

▪ justification (noun) – the act of proving right

▪ justifiable (adjective) – able to be shown as right

Common Expressions with "justify"

▪ justify an action – to prove an action is right

▪ justify a decision – to show a decision is right

▪ justify a behavior – to prove behavior is reasonable

▪ justify the cost – to show the cost is reasonable

Important examples of justify in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, justify often means to provide reasons for decisions or actions.

▪She justified the expense to the board.
▪She proved the expense was reasonable to the board.

Example of a confusing word: testify (to give evidence)

▪She testified the expense to the board.
▪She gave evidence about the expense to the board.
"Justify" means "to show or prove to be right or reasonable," and is used correctly in the sentence "She justified the expense to the board," indicating she provided reasons for the expense. "Testify," however, means "to give evidence as a witness in a law court," and does not fit in this context of explaining or proving an expense. The sentence "She testified the expense" is grammatically awkward and does not convey the intended meaning. Thus, "justify" is the correct choice here.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As a verb, justify often appears in grammar questions with objects that need explanation or defense.

▪They justified their late arrival.
▪They showed their late arrival was reasonable.

justify

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

justify the means

'prove the methods are right', used in ethical discussions.

▪The results do not justify the means.
▪The results do not prove the methods are right.

justify oneself

'to prove one's own actions are right', used in personal defense.

▪He had to justify himself to the team.
▪He had to prove his actions were right to the team.

Differences between similar words and justify

justify

,

defend

differences

Justify is used to prove something is right, while defend is used to support or protect something.

justify
▪She justified her choice to the committee.
▪She proved her choice was right to the committee.
defend
▪He defended his friend in the argument.
▪He supported his friend in the argument.

justify

,

validate

differences

Justify means to prove something is right, while validate means to confirm something is true or correct.

justify
▪She justified the new policy to the staff.
▪The data confirmed the hypothesis was true.
validate
▪The data validated the hypothesis.
▪The data confirmed the hypothesis was true.

Words with the same origin as justify

The origin of justify

justify comes from the Latin 'justificare', which first meant 'to make just or right'.

Word structure

It has the prefix jus (right), root fic (make), and suffix y (verb), meaning 'to make right'.

Words with the same origin

The root of justify is jus (right). Words with the same root include justice (fairness), just (fair), and jury (group deciding right).

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