unjustified

unjustified

UK[ʌnˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd]US[ʌnˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd]
adj

not shown to be right or reasonable; lacking a proper reason or explanation.

adj

(of text) not aligned evenly at the margins.

Morpheme Breakdown

un
just
ified
un

not

just

fair, right

ified

made, formed

Etymology

the word 'unjustified' is built upon the latin foundation of iustus, meaning "just" or "lawful." the suffix -ificare, meaning "to make," was attached to form the verb 'justify,' which entered english via old french, signifying the act of proving something to be right. the germanic negative prefix 'un-' was later prefixed to the past participle 'justified,' creating a direct and logical negation. thus, the term's literal meaning, "not made right," perfectly encapsulates its modern sense of lacking proper reason or validation.

Analysis

Structure: un (not) + just (fair, right) + ified (made, formed) - un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english) meaning "not," serving a negating function. - just: from latin iustus meaning "righteous, lawful, fair." it functions as the core root conveying the concept of fairness. - ified: a suffix from latin -ificare (via old french -ifier), meaning "to make." it transforms the adjective into a past participle form indicating a state of being made.

Examples

the criticism was harsh and completely unjustified.

he felt an unjustified sense of guilt over the accident.

the document uses an unjustified alignment for its body text.