Warrant vs. Justify

Warrant

Warrant is a notification, warning or advice to someone. It can also be used to caution someone against a potential danger. Warrant is usually used for mentioning things (not people). For example, if something warrants an action, then that action is likely to be necessary or appropriate. Warrant indicates assertion that something will happen.Some examples where we use warrant are:

• I warrant that this work will be delivered by today end of day.
• She warranted that it is risky to leave important belongings in the hotel.
• This project good enough to warrant further work and discussion.
• I will warrant her from going to the party alone.
• We have an arrest warrant on his name!
• There is no warrant for a toddler’s behavior.

Warrant is used in many different contexts like,

• Search warrant - warrant by the law to search someone’s possessions,
• Death warrant – warrant given to prison officials to carry out a death sentence.
• Bench warrant – warrant by the judge to arrest someone who is indicted

Warranty – Don’t confuse warrant with warranty. Warranty is simply a security or a written guarantee on the quality given by a company when you purchase their products/services.

Justify

To justify something is to seemingly prove it using facts and arguments. The facts may or may not be true and can be biased. For example, “To justify the murder, the criminal said he wanted to take revenge for his father’s death.” Justification is usually by one’s faith more than real facts. It defines what one believes in and is used to indicate someone’s actions. Example usages:

• Don’t try to justify your self-centered behavior.
• I don’t have to justify my stand to everyone!
• All these justifications are mere excuses to escape from the work given.
• Giving her the job, just because she is the Mayor’s daughter, is not justified.Sometimes, justify is used as a synonym for warrant:
• The matter is serious enough to justify/warrant further action.

In the above sentence, justify means “good enough reason”. Here is one sentence that will make the difference clear:The arrest warrant is not justified.The justification is not clear enough to warrant an action.

In short, we see that warrant can be used in many different contexts, whereas justify is used to indicate someone’s actions based on their beliefs (or their own reasons).