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justify - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | justify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | legitimize, substantiate |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, advocate, alibi*, answer for, approve, assert, bear out, brief, claim, clear, condone, confirm, contend, cop a plea, countenance, crawl, defend, establish, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, explain, favor, legalize, maintain, palliate, pardon, plead, rationalize, rebut, square, support, sustain, uphold, validate, verify, vindicate, warrant, apologize for, argue for, be answerable for, do justice to, make allowances, make good, show cause, speak in favor, stand up for |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | account for |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | give reason for |
| Synonyms: | clarify, elucidate, explain, justify, resolve |
| Main Entry: | advocate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | support idea or cause publicly |
| Synonyms: | advance, advise, back, bless, bolster, boost*, build up, champion, countenance, defend, encourage, favor, further, go for, go to bat for*, justify, plug*, promote, propose, push, recommend, side, support, tout, uphold, urge, vindicate, argue for, be in corner, brace up, campaign for, get on bandwagon, give a leg up, give a lift, go with, hold with, plead for, plump for*, press for, ride shotgun for, root for, run interference for, say so, speak for, spread around, stump for |
| Antonyms: | assail, attack, criticize, impugn, oppose, protest |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assert |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insist, declare, maintain |
| Synonyms: | advance, affirm, allege, argue, asservate, attest, aver, avouch, avow, butt in*, cite, claim, contend, defend, horn in, justify, mouth off*, pop off*, predicate, press, proclaim, profess, pronounce, protest, put forward, say, shoot off one's mouth, shoot one's wad, stand up for, state, stress, swear, uphold, vindicate, warrant |
| Antonyms: | deny, reject |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | authenticate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | establish as real, genuine |
| Synonyms: | accredit, attest, authorize, bear out, certify, confirm, corroborate, endorse, guarantee, justify, prove, substantiate, validate, verify, vouch, warrant |
| Main Entry: | bear out |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | substantiate |
| Synonyms: | authenticate, confirm, corroborate, endorse, justify, prove, substantiate, support, uphold, validate, verify, vindicate |
| Main Entry: | claim |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | demand, maintain property or right |
| Synonyms: | adduce, advance, allege, ask, assert, believe, call for, challenge, collect, declare, defend, exact, hit, hold, insist, justify, knock, need, pick up, pop the question*, postulate, pretend, profess, pronounce, require, requisition, solicit, take, uphold, vindicate, have dibs on something, hit up, hold out for, lay claim to, stake out |
| Antonyms: | deny, disclaim, question |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | corroborate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | back up information, story |
| Synonyms: | approve, authenticate, bear out, certify, check out, confirm, document, endorse, establish, justify, okay, prove, ratify, strengthen, substantiate, support, sustain, validate, verify, check on, check up, declare true, double check, give nod, rubber-stamp |
| Notes: | corroborate is used in a narrower context, usually by way of providing support for testimony in a legal proceeding; confirm is to lend support to a much wider array of things |
| Antonyms: | contradict, deny, disallow, disclaim, refute, reject |
| Main Entry: | deserve |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be entitled to |
| Synonyms: | be given one's due, be in line for, be worthy of, demand, earn, gain, get, get comeuppance, get what is coming to one, have it coming, have the right to, justify, lay claim to, merit, procure, rate, warrant, win |
| Main Entry: | exculpate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, amnesty, clear, condone, discharge, dismiss, excuse, exonerate, explain, free, justify, let off*, pardon, rationalize, release, remit, vindicate, disculpate, wipe slate clean |
| Antonyms: | blame, condemn, sentence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | exonerate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excuse, clear of responsibility or blame |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, discharge, dismiss, except, exculpate, exempt, free, justify, let off*, liberate, pardon, release, relieve, sanitize, vindicate, whitewash*, disburden, let off hook, wipe slate clean |
| Antonyms: | accuse, blame, charge, condemn, incarcerate, incriminate, sentence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | explain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make clear; give a reason for |
| Synonyms: | account for, analyze, annotate, bring out, clarify, clear up, construe, decipher, define, demonstrate, describe, diagram, disclose, elucidate, excuse, explicate, expound, get across*, illustrate, interpret, justify, manifest, paraphrase, point out, rationalize, read, refine, render, resolve, reveal, solve, spell out*, teach, tell, translate, unfold, unravel, untangle, break down, go into detail, make plain, put across, put in plain English, set right, throw light upon |
| Antonyms: | complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex, be vague |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | extenuate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lessen, mitigate |
| Synonyms: | decrease, diminish, downplay, excuse, justify, minimize, moderate, palliate, qualify, reduce, soften, make allowances |
| Main Entry: | merit |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be entitled to |
| Synonyms: | be in line for, be worthy, deserve, earn, get one's comeuppance, get one's due, get one's just desserts, get what is coming, have a claim, have a right, have coming, incur, justify, rate, warrant |
| Main Entry: | palliate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | gloss over; cover up |
| Synonyms: | abate, allay, alleviate, assuage, camouflage, cloak, conceal, condone, cover, diminish, disguise, dissemble, ease, exculpate, excuse, extenuate, hide, hush up*, justify, lessen, lighten, mask, minimize, mitigate, moderate, mollify, qualify, quick fix*, relieve, screen, soften, soothe, sugarcoat*, temper, varnish, veil, veneer, vindicate, white, whiten, whitewash*, apologize for, gloze, make light of, prettify, put on a Band-Aid |
| Antonyms: | accuse, blame, condemn |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | pardon |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive |
| Synonyms: | absolve, accept, acquit, amnesty, bury the hatchet*, clear, condone, discharge, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, free, justify, let off*, liberate, overlook, release, remit, reprieve, rescue, spring*, tolerate, write off*, blink at, give absolution, grant amnesty, let off easy, lifeboat, suspend charges, wink at*, wipe slate clean |
| Antonyms: | chastise, condemn, damn, ostracize, penalize, punish |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | prove |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | establish facts; put to a test |
| Synonyms: | affirm, analyze, ascertain, assay, attest, authenticate, back, bear out, certify, check, confirm, convince, corroborate, declare, demonstrate, determine, document, end up, evidence, evince, examine, experiment, explain, find, fix, justify, manifest, pan out*, result, settle, show, substantiate, sustain, test, testify, trial, try, turn out, uphold, validate, verify, warrant, witness, add up, have a case, make evident, show clearly, show once and for all |
| Antonyms: | discredit, disprove, theorize, hypothesize |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | rationalize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make excuse; justify |
| Synonyms: | account for, cop a plea, cop out*, deliberate, elucidate, excise, excuse, extenuate, justify, reason, reconcile, resolve, think, vindicate, apply logic, explain away, give alibi, intellectualize, make allowance, reason out, think through |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | recommend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | advise, approve |
| Synonyms: | acclaim, advance, advocate, applaud, back, celebrate, commend, compliment, confirm, counsel, endorse, enjoin, esteem, eulogize, exalt, exhort, extol, favor, glorify, hold up, justify, laud, magnify, plug*, praise, prescribe, prize, propose, sanction, second, steer, suggest, uphold, urge, value, vouch for, be all for, be satisfied with, front for, go on record for, put forward, put in a good word, put on to, speak highly of, speak well of, stand by, think highly of |
| Antonyms: | disapprove, discourage, dissuade |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | revenge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | retaliate for wrong, grievance |
| Synonyms: | avenge, be out for blood, defend, even the score, fight back, fix, fix one's wagon, get, get back at, get even, give comeuppance, give just desserts, hit back, justify, kick back, make reprisal, match, pay back, pay back in spades, pay off, punish, reciprocate, redress, repay, requite, retort, return, return the compliment, score, settle up, settle with, square, stick it to, take an eye for an eye, turn the tables on, venge, vindicate |
| Antonyms: | forgive, pardon, sympathize |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
