JUSTIFYING Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

justifying

verb

present participle of justify

as in explaining

to be an acceptable reason for you seem to think that losing a basketball game justifies a temper tantrum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in defending

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections failed to justify the need for a war at this time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of justifying Steve Nesius | Reuters For analysts at Bernstein, Starship is the most important issue for SpaceX in justifying its valuation. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026 Organizations that approach agentic AI this way build foundational capabilities that span dozens of workflows and shift the ROI conversation from justifying each agent individually to achieving compounding returns across the enterprise. — Joe Locandro, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Another issue is the characterization of the country’s Citizenship by Investment Program, which the White House cited in justifying the travel restrictions. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026 The lawyer representing his family, Benjamin Gideon, said on July 16 that Guerrero had never been accused of a crime and there were no reports of any threat to safety justifying the officers' presence the morning he was shot. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 17 July 2026 The practice is so unusual that an internal waiver justifying the choice is typically required. — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 17 July 2026 Kennedy made the changes unilaterally rather than going through a panel of experts, as has long been standard, and Spear wrote the accompanying report justifying the changes, according to three people familiar with the process. — CNN Money, 16 July 2026 And yet at the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary defense of the faith and criticizing how the Catholic Church today had deviated from tradition. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 This looser-fitting top sits right at the waistband and is made of a durable nylon and elastane blend that resists wear and tear (justifying the price point). — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifying

Verb

Their background needs explaining, and there is less internal precedent for what success looks like.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Creighton jokes, explaining that making the film accessible to people is far more interesting to her than some sort of contrived celebrity impact campaign.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of explaining

Verb

Skubal also issued two walks and hit a batter with a pitch in just his second career appearance at Dodger Stadium, taking the mound nine days after the defending champions acquired him from Detroit in the biggest trade of the deadline.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
The defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers may have to relinquish their title to the surging Atlanta Braves.

— Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of defending

Verb

Not that Miss Manners is excusing those who burst into dinner parties after the roast has been ruined — along with the other guests’ attitudes, most likely — and then blame it on traffic.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Part of that is the team’s fault, as Boone and Cashman have spent much of his career staunchly defending and excusing the former first-round pick’s poor play.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026

Definition of excusing

Verb

Beijing's core motivation is maintaining strict capital controls; a freely transferable yuan token would undermine this.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
As families settle into back-to-school schedules, office commutes and busier routines, maintaining consistent feeding habits for pets can become more challenging.

— Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of maintaining

Verb

The county executive’s chartered responsibilities include overseeing the county’s municipal departments, correcting errors in tax assessments, executing certain contracts, upholding the county charter and representing the county in general.

— Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
There are plenty of people who don't agree with the NCAA upholding a suspension, and the Tennessee administration is high on the list.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of upholding

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justify

justifying

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“Justifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifying. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of justifying

verb

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