justifiable
adj.having a good reason for an action or a belief. If something is justifiable, you can explain why it is right or fair.
adj.capable of being defended or shown to be right, fair, or reasonable. Often used to describe decisions, expenses, or emotional reactions that meet a standard of logic or ethics.
“The extra cost is justifiable because the quality is much higher.”
“The manager argued that the price increase was justifiable given the rising cost of raw materials.”
“In legal contexts, a defendant must prove that their actions were a justifiable response to an immediate threat rather than an act of unprovoked aggression.”
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'.
Learners sometimes use the adjective 'justifiable' when the noun 'justification' is required.
From Middle French justifiable. By surface analysis, justify + -able.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.