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
Key changes include elevating political power in funding decisions, allowing grant termination without justification, and increasing micromanagement of funds.
—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
What was the breakdown for and against and what justifications did the majority give for its decision?
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
What possible justification can there be for using those date windows, when there’s no reasonable way to ascribe any of the trends to a policy that has not yet been able to see results, due to the lengthy incubation period?
—
Ian Miller Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2026
Ultimately, his team failed to show any justification for such hopes.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
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.
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
What was the breakdown for and against and what justifications did the majority give for its decision?
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
What possible justification can there be for using those date windows, when there’s no reasonable way to ascribe any of the trends to a policy that has not yet been able to see results, due to the lengthy incubation period?
—
Ian Miller Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2026
Ultimately, his team failed to show any justification for such hopes.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for justification
Cite this Entry
“Justification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justification. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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
