# warranted

/ˈwɔɹəntɪd/ (US) · /wˈɒɹəntɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/warranted
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. justified or necessary

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

having a good enough reason to be done or felt.

For teachers: justified or necessitated by the circumstances; having adequate grounds for existence or occurrence.

- The teacher felt that a phone call to the parents was warranted after the student missed three classes.
- Given the volatility of the current market, the board decided that a more cautious approach to investment was entirely warranted.

Usage: Often used in professional or academic contexts to evaluate the validity of a reaction or decision.

Teaching tip: Learners often encounter the negative form 'unwarranted' (e.g., 'unwarranted criticism') even more frequently than the positive form.

### 2. legally authorized

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

officially allowed or ordered by a legal document called a warrant.

For teachers: authorized or sanctioned by a legal warrant or official mandate.

- The police conducted a warranted search of the property to look for evidence.
- The defense attorney argued that the warranted surveillance had exceeded the scope originally permitted by the judge.

Usage: Typically used in legal or law enforcement contexts regarding searches, arrests, or seizures.

Teaching tip: This sense is highly specific to legal procedures; in everyday conversation, sense 1 is much more common.

## Examples

- The police felt that a search was warranted.
- Given the severity of the weather warnings, the decision to cancel the outdoor festival was entirely warranted.
- While the initial criticism was harsh, many industry experts argued it was warranted by the company's repeated failure to address known safety flaws in their software.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.