adj ·5 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   That can be justified.

   "Near-synonyms: defensible, excusable"

2. 2
   Describing an illegal and intentional act that is nevertheless not blameworthy, for example because its positive consequences outweighed the bad. Distinguished from excusable, describing an involuntary illegal act. specifically

   "justifiable homicide"

Adjective

1. 1
   capable of being justified wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

excusableadmissibleallowablebalancedcogentcondonable

Antonyms

All antonyms

unjustifiable

Example

More examples

"It was a case of clearly justifiable self-defense."

Etymology

From Middle French justifiable. By surface analysis, justify + -able.

Related phrases

justifiable homicide

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.