Meanings
alternative the ends justify the means
- Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can be considered morally right or wrong only by virtue of the morality of the outcome.
The White House argument is simple: that the end justifies the means.
2023 July 7, David Smith, “End justifies means for Biden in sending cluster bombs to Ukraine”, in The Guardian, →ISSN2 more examples
Marxists were often criticized for believing that the ends justified the means, yet these old Cold Warriors were now the ones using ends to justify means—attacking science in the name of freedom.
2010, Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway, chapter 5, in Merchants of DoubtShepard: You honestly think the experiments you did here are justified? Maelon: We committed cultural genocide! Nothing I do will ever be justified! Maelon: The experiments are monstrous... because I was taught to be a monster. Shepard: Mordin, did you ever perform experiments like this? Mordin: No. Never taught you this, Maelon. Maelon: So your hands are clean! What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions! Maelon: You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how.
2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka
Origin
Falsely attributed to Machiavelli's The Prince, which does not use the phrase in the work. A possible source is Ovid's Heroides (ca. 10 BCE), which says exitus ācta probat (“the outcome justifies the deeds”). However, its use there is quite likely to have an opposite meaning of outcome proving means were unjustified, based on its context.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans die doel heilig die middele
- die doel heilig die middelemorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Arabic الْغَايَةُ تُبَرِّرُ الْوَسِيلَةَ
- الْغَايَةُ تُبَرِّرُ الْوَسِيلَةَ (al-ḡāyatu tubarriru l-wasīlata)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Bulgarian целта́ оправда́ва сре́дствата
- целта́ оправда́ва сре́дствата (celtá opravdáva srédstvata)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Catalan els fins justifiquen els mitjans
- els fins justifiquen els mitjansmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Chinese Mandarin 只要目的正當，可以不擇手段 /只要目的正当, 可以不择手段
- 只要目的正當，可以不擇手段 /只要目的正当morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- 可以不择手段 (zhǐyào mùdì zhèngdàng, kěyǐ bùzéshǒuduàn)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Czech účel světí prostředky
- účel světí prostředkymorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Danish målet helliger midlet
- målet helliger midletmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Dutch het doel heiligt de middelen
- het doel heiligt de middelenmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Finnish tarkoitus pyhittää keinot
- tarkoitus pyhittää keinotmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
French la fin justifie les moyens, qui veut la fin veut les moyens
- la fin justifie les moyensmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- qui veut la fin veut les moyensmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
German der Zweck heiligt die Mittel
- der Zweck heiligt die Mittelmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Greek ο σκοπός αγιάζει τα μέσα
- ο σκοπός αγιάζει τα μέσα (o skopós agiázei ta mésa)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Hebrew הַמַּטָּרָה מְקַדֶּשֶׁת אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִים, כָּל הָאֶמְצָעִים כְּשֵׁרִים
- הַמַּטָּרָה מְקַדֶּשֶׁת אֶת הָאֶמְצָעִים (ha-mattará meqaddéshet et ha-emtza'ím)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- כָּל הָאֶמְצָעִים כְּשֵׁרִים (kol ha-emtza'ím ksherím)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Hungarian a cél szentesíti az eszközt
- a cél szentesíti az eszköztmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Icelandic tilgangurinn helgar meðalið
- tilgangurinn helgar meðaliðmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Indonesian tujuan menghalalkan cara
- tujuan menghalalkan caramorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Italian il fine giustifica i mezzi
- il fine giustifica i mezzimorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Japanese 目的のためには手段を選ばない, 嘘も方便
- 目的のためには手段を選ばない (mokuteki no tame ni wa shudan o erabanai)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- 嘘も方便morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- うそも方便 (uso mo hōben)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Korean 목적이 수단을 정당화한다
- 목적이 수단을 정당화한다 (mokjeogi sudaneul jeongdanghwahanda)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Latin exitus ācta probat
- exitus ācta probatmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Malay matlamat menghalalkan cara
- matlamat menghalalkan caramorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Norwegian målet helliggjør midlene
- målet helliggjør midlenemorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Persian هدف وسیله را توجیه میکند
- هدف وسیله را توجیه میکندmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Polish cel uświęca środki
- cel uświęca środkimorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Portuguese os fins justificam os meios, não se faz omelete sem se quebrar alguns ovos
- os fins justificam os meiosmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
- não se faz omelete sem se quebrar alguns ovosmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Romanian scopul scuză mijloacele
- scopul scuză mijloacelemorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Russian цель опра́вдывает сре́дства
- цель опра́вдывает сре́дства (celʹ oprávdyvajet srédstva)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Slovak účel svätí prostriedky
- účel svätí prostriedkymorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Spanish el fin justifica los medios
- el fin justifica los mediosmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Swedish ändamålet helgar medlen
- ändamålet helgar medlenmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Turkish amaca giden her yol mübahtır
- amaca giden her yol mübahtırmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Ukrainian мета виправдовує засоби
- мета виправдовує засоби (meta vypravdovuje zasoby)morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Vietnamese cứu cánh biện minh cho phương tiện
- cứu cánh biện minh cho phương tiệnmorally wrong actions are sometimes necessary
Cite this entry
the end justifies the means. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20end%20justifies%20the%20means
“the end justifies the means.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20end%20justifies%20the%20means. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the end justifies the means,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20end%20justifies%20the%20means.
Source: the end justifies the means on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.