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overjustify. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
overjustify, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
overjustify in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
overjustify you have here. The definition of the word
overjustify will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
overjustify, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From over- + justify.
Verb
overjustify (third-person singular simple present overjustifies, present participle overjustifying, simple past and past participle overjustified)
- (transitive) To justify excessively; to provide too much justification for.
- (transitive, psychology) Specifically, to provide external incentive for an already-internally-motivated behavior, thereby risking the loss of the original motivation.
Usage notes
- This verb is fairly rare, but the derived noun overjustification is somewhat more common.
Derived terms