justification
noun
jus·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌjə-stə-fə-ˈkā-shən 
1
a
: the act or an instance of justifying something : vindication
arguments offered in justification of their choice
b
: an acceptable reason for doing something : something that justifies an act or way of behaving
could provide no justification for his decision
2
: the act, process, or state of being justified by God (see justify sense 2a)
3
: the process or result of justifying lines of text (see justify sense 3a)
software that provides automatic justification of text
Examples of justification in a Sentence
He tried to present a justification for his behavior.
There is no possible justification for what she did.
His behavior is without justification.
Recent Examples on the Web
What are the present political implications of trying to empathize with Germans under the Nazi regime, to better understand their own justifications for their crimes?
—
Joseph Bernstein, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
This administration might use a domestic crisis as even more justification to bypass legislative and judicial oversight.
—Jane Harman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Beijing has rejected the justification, arguing that the U.S. should address its own domestic demand.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
When counting only left-leaning respondents, justification for killing Trump rose to 55% and Musk to 48%.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justification
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joseph Bernstein, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
This administration might use a domestic crisis as even more justification to bypass legislative and judicial oversight.
—Jane Harman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Beijing has rejected the justification, arguing that the U.S. should address its own domestic demand.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
When counting only left-leaning respondents, justification for killing Trump rose to 55% and Musk to 48%.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justification
Cite this Entry
“Justification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justification. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
justification
noun
jus·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌjəs-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act or an instance of justifying or of being justified
2
: something that justifies : defense
Legal Definition
justification
noun
jus·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌjəs-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən
1
: the act or an instance of justifying
2
: something that justifies
specifically
: a legally sufficient reason or cause (as self-defense) for an act that would otherwise be criminal or tortious
3
: the affirmative defense of having a legally sufficient justification compare excuse
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share