unjustified
Other forms: unjustifiedly
Whether it’s unjustified violence, an unjustified complaint, or an unjustified belief, you can use the word unjustified when something just isn’t right or seems to have no reason behind it.
When you break apart the word unjustified, it’s easy to see what it means. You’re probably familiar with the prefix un-, which here means “not.” And justified contains just, meaning “fair.” So something that's unjustified is not fair or not right, such as an unjustified action like damaging someone's property or the unjustified praise for someone who has taken credit for another person's efforts.
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lacking justification or authorizationsynonyms: undue, unwarrantedunreasonablenot reasonable; not showing good judgment
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Vocabulary lists containing unjustified
On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a televised address to the American public regarding the former Soviet Union’s military presence in Cuba. Kennedy reported the presence of offensive missile sites presumably intended to launch a nuclear attack against Western nations. The President characterized this move on the part of the U.S.S.R. as an imminent threat to American security and laid out his proposed course of action.
In response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which enabled the U.S. Army to enforce Civilian Exclusion and Civilian Restrictive orders. This resulted in the relocation and internment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans who were seen as threats to national security. For refusing to move from his home, Fred Korematsu was arrested and convicted. The Supreme Court ruled that military necessity justified the violation of Korematsu's constitutional rights. Although the government eventually admitted its error and made reparations to the surviving internees, this decision, similar to Plessy v. Ferguson, remains an embarrassing example of legalized racism. These words are from the majority opinion written by Hugo Black. Read the full text here.