Basic Details
Word: Justified
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Having a good reason; shown to be right or fair.
Synonyms: reasonable, fair, valid, warranted
Antonyms: unjustified, unfair, unreasonable
How to Spell Justified
Syllables: jus - ti - fied
Tricky part: Justify ends in a consonant and y, so the y changes to i before ed: fied, not fyed.
Watch out for: justifyed, justifeid, justefied
Memory tip: Cry becomes cried and try becomes tried; justify follows the same rule and becomes justified.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Her worry was justified when the bus arrived an hour late.
Example 2: The teacher felt justified in giving extra homework after the noisy lesson.
Example 3: Is it ever justified to break a promise?
Fun Fact
Justified, justice and just all come from the Latin word justus, meaning fair or right.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
justifyied
a) f
b) t
c) i
d) y
Show answer
d) y. The y of justify has already turned into i, so it must not stay as well.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to justified as used in the sentence:
The umpire's decision to stop play in the heavy rain was completely justified.
a) sensible
b) unreasonable
c) valid
d) fair
Show answer
b) unreasonable. A justified decision is reasonable, so unreasonable is its opposite.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to find the right word:
The doctor said the extra tests were fitjedius because the fever had lasted a week.
a) testified
b) satisfied
c) justified
d) justifies
Show answer
c) justified. The jumble has one s, a j and a d, which fits only justified.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A justified fear is one that ____.
a) goes away after a few minutes
b) is about judges and courts
c) has a good reason behind it
d) comes from watching a film
Show answer
c) has a good reason behind it
2. Which of these would make staying home from school justified?
a) not liking the lunch menu that day
b) feeling too lazy to get dressed
c) a high fever and a doctor's advice
d) wanting to watch a cricket match
Show answer
c) a high fever and a doctor's advice
