justifies

Justifies is the third-person singular present tense of the verb justify. It means to show (an action, argument, or decision) to be right, reasonable, or lawful, or to provide reasons or evidence supporting a claim. The noun form is justification.

Etymology traces justify to Old French justifier, from Latin iustificare, meaning to make just or to defend as just. The term has long been used across law, rhetoric, and philosophy to indicate grounds for a position or course of action.

In logic and reasoning, a statement is justified when it is supported by evidence or sound argument. In everyday speech, someone justifies an action by offering explanations or reasons for why it was taken, often addressing potential objections or harms.

In law and ethics, justification refers to grounds that render an action permissible under the applicable rules or moral framework. A self-defense claim, for example, is justified if the use of force was necessary to prevent imminent unlawful harm and was proportional to the threat.

In typography, to justify text means to adjust spacing so that each line aligns with both the left and right margins. Fully justified text creates clean vertical edges but can introduce uneven spacing or rivers of white space, whereas ragged-right text leaves the right edge uneven but can improve readability in some contexts.

See also: justify, justification, justifiable, justifiability.