MEANING
Not supported by adequate reasons, or undeserved in the circumstances.
Use it for
challenging a conclusion that exceeds its supporting reasons; criticizing an inference not licensed by the evidence; identifying a judgment or treatment that is not deservedIdentifies a lack of adequate reasons or an undeserved judgment rather than claiming merely that something is untested. Academic functions: Evidence, Argumentation, Qualification / Uncertainty.
Words that belong together
- unjustified inference
- unjustified assumption
- unjustified criticism
On the page
The observed association makes the causal inference unjustified unless alternative explanations are addressed.
The critic argues that dismissing the work as derivative is unjustified given the features the earlier comparison ignores.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- unjustified
Usage notes
Adjective: unjustified claim, unjustified criticism. More or less justified is generally clearer for degree; no routine synthetic comparison. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.