Justifiable

adj.thoughtful, capableformal

What it means

Able to be supported by sufficient reasons, evidence, or moral grounds.

Reach for it when evaluating whether a choice can be responsibly defended before it is made

The extra expense was justifiable because it made the crossing safer.

playful
on solid ground
informal language should signal strong support
not when The metaphor is imprecise about whether evidence, law, or ethics supplies the ground.
everyday
explainable
causes or reasoning can be made understandable
not when An action can be explainable yet still wrong or unjustifiable.
everyday
reasonable
the choice falls within sensible accepted bounds
not when Reasonable is broader and can rely on convention instead of explicit justification.
professional
defensible
a decision can withstand informed criticism
not when Defensible may mean arguable rather than ethically or factually sound.
professional
legitimate
authority, process, or purpose gives the act standing
not when Legitimacy does not prove that a particular consequence is justified.
formal
proportionate
the response matches the scale of need or harm
not when Proportionality is one condition and may not settle the whole justification.
formal
warranted
available evidence makes the response appropriate
not when Warranted suggests the threshold is already met, while justifiable can remain conditional.

justifiable expense
The accessibility work is a justifiable expense with measurable public benefit.
morally justifiable
Emergency restrictions are morally justifiable only with necessity, review, and limits.
justifiable concern
A justifiable concern should lead to evidence gathering rather than accusation.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.