as in legitimate
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
had justifiable reasons for leaving early
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Recent Examples of justifiable
In tying both Diana and Maria’s tragedy to Boleyn’s, Larraín furthers his dialogue with history, showcasing that women, especially women in power, have long been maligned and punished without justifiable cause.
—
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2024
Yet providers have their own justifiable complaints about how health insurers deploy their networks to restrict coverage, such as prior authorization and other bureaucratic hurdles that providers must jump in order to receive compensation for caring for their patients.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 6 Dec. 2024
For those who follow the film festival circuit, Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Palme d’Or win at the Cannes Film Festival for Parasite seemed like an inevitable and justifiable distinction.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
He was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, under the Military Service Act, which allows for sentences of up to three years for evading mandatory military service without justifiable cause.
—Stella Kim, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for justifiable 
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2024
Yet providers have their own justifiable complaints about how health insurers deploy their networks to restrict coverage, such as prior authorization and other bureaucratic hurdles that providers must jump in order to receive compensation for caring for their patients.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 6 Dec. 2024
For those who follow the film festival circuit, Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Palme d’Or win at the Cannes Film Festival for Parasite seemed like an inevitable and justifiable distinction.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 28 Oct. 2024
He was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, under the Military Service Act, which allows for sentences of up to three years for evading mandatory military service without justifiable cause.
—Stella Kim, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for justifiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifiable
Adjective
-
California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that the texts appear authentic, sometimes linking to legitimate websites to deceive consumers.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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There were legitimate criticisms of the government response, but government data on air and water quality had little bearing on whether residents, the majority of whom voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024, felt safe.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The long-term fix The only truly permanent solutions to keep TikTok online appear to be: 1) pass a new law reversing the old one — no easy task, considering that the existing bill had such broad bipartisan support in Congress — or 2) force a sale to an acceptable buyer.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
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An open question is what level of mortgage rates will be acceptable or affordable for buyers on the sidelines.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Are options like gradual transition to retirement viable?—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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But because the operations needed to run this sort of algorithm can be done so efficiently, the error rates don't have to come down very much before the system will become viable.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
As brutal as the action looks on the surface, there is some rational trading taking place, even if some of the moves in individual stocks end up being overdone.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2025
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Our rational impulses are so automatic, and so strong, that we’re now faced with the problem of what to do with the irrational.—
Joshua Rothman,
The New Yorker,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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All of this could have been avoided with any number of reasonable, common-sense approaches to addressing homebuilding on a statewide basis.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Orange County Register,
27 Jan. 2025
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The moves alienated longtime shoppers who valued Kohl’s for its quality clothes at reasonable prices.—
Maria Sole Campinoti,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Acuña says that Cal Fire provides tips for home- and landowners looking to fire-proof their property through landscaping and creating defensible space.—
Hannah Singleton,
WIRED,
21 Jan. 2025
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For residents of Los Angeles County, at least, there is a legal mandate to maintain defensible space — the area around a structure that must meet certain brush clearance and firescape specifications — of only 200 feet.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near justifiable
Cite this Entry
“Justifiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifiable. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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