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.