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Justify vs Argue - What's the difference?

justify | argue |

In transitive terms the difference between justify and argue

is that justify is to absolve, and declare to be free of blame or sin while argue is to present (a viewpoint or an argument therefor).

justify

English

Alternative forms

* justifie (obsolete)

Verb

  • To provide an acceptable explanation for.
  • How can you justify spending so much money on clothes?
    Paying too much for car insurance is not justified .
  • To be a good, acceptable reason for; warrant.
  • Nothing can justify your rude behaviour last night.
  • * E. Everett
  • Unless the oppression is so extreme as to justify' revolution, it would not ' justify the evil of breaking up a government.
  • To arrange (text) on a page or a computer screen such that the left and right ends of all lines within paragraphs are aligned.
  • The text will look better justified .
  • To absolve, and declare to be free of blame or sin
  • * Shakespeare
  • I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
  • * Bible, Acts xiii. 39
  • By him all that believe are justified' from all things, from which ye could not be ' justified by the law of Moses.
  • To prove; to ratify; to confirm.
  • (Shakespeare)

    argue

    English

    Verb

    (argu)
  • (obsolete) To prove.
  • To shows grounds for concluding ((that)); to indicate, imply.
  • * 1910 , , "The Soul of Laploshka", Reginald in Russia :
  • To have killed Laploshka was one thing; to have kept his beloved money would have argued a callousness of feeling of which I was not capable.
  • To debate, disagree or discuss opposing or differing viewpoints.
  • He also argued for stronger methods to be used against China.
    He argued as follows: America should stop Lend-Lease convoying, because it needs to fortify its own Army with the supplies.
    The two boys argued because of disagreement about the science project.
  • To have an argument, a quarrel.
  • To present (a viewpoint or an argument therefor).
  • He argued his point.
    He argued that America should stop Lend-Lease convoying because it needed to fortify its own Army with the supplies.

    Derived terms

    * argie-bargie * argle-bargle * arguable * argue the toss * arguer * argy-bargy

    Anagrams

    * English reporting verbs ----