ENGLISH
REFERENCE

justifying

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdʒəstəˌfaɪɪŋ// UK //dʒˈʌstɪfˌaɪɪŋ// jus·ti·fy·ing

v. giving a good reason for something that people might think is wrong or unnecessary. You use this to show that an action or decision is fair and right.

v. providing a valid reason or excuse for an action, belief, or decision to show it is warranted. The present participle of 'justify', often used to explain the rationale behind a controversial choice.


SIMPLE

He is justifying his high prices by showing the quality of the materials.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager spent the entire meeting justifying the budget cuts to the concerned staff members.

COMPLEX

While the CEO attempted to frame the layoffs as a necessary strategic shift, many employees felt he was merely justifying a short-term pursuit of profit at the expense of long-term stability.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object or a gerund phrase.

Pitfall

justifying for his mistakejustifying his mistakeJustify is a transitive verb; it should not be followed by the preposition 'for' when introducing the action being defended.

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