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Justify vs Encourage - What's the difference?

justify | encourage |

As verbs the difference between justify and encourage

is that justify is to provide an acceptable explanation for while encourage is to mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

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)

    encourage

    English

    Verb

    (encourag)
  • To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
  • I encouraged him during his race.
  • To spur on, strongly recommend.
  • We encourage the use of bicycles in the town centre.
  • To foster, give help or patronage
  • ''The royal family has always encouraged the arts in word and deed

    Synonyms

    * (l) * (l)

    Antonyms

    * discourage

    Derived terms

    * encouragement * encouraging * encouragingly