Justified means having a good reason for something, or being right and fair in your actions or beliefs. When a decision is justified, you can explain why it makes sense. If you feel justified in being upset with a friend who broke a promise, you have solid grounds for your feelings.

Think about a teacher who gives you a lower grade because you turned in sloppy work. That decision is justified because the teacher has clear reasons based on the quality of what you submitted. But if the teacher lowered your grade just because they were having a bad day, that wouldn't be justified at all.

The word often appears when people need to defend their choices. A student might feel justified in spending extra time on a difficult project instead of playing outside. A referee's call in a soccer game is justified when it follows the actual rules of the game.

In writing and printing, justified also describes text that lines up evenly on both the left and right sides of the page, like the columns in a newspaper. The words stretch or squeeze slightly so every line reaches the same endpoint, creating neat, straight margins.

When something is justified, there's a solid foundation underneath it: good reasons, fair treatment, or proper alignment.