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
Because the price hikes were found to be imposed without providing customers with valid justifications, the court ruled that the new prices are invalid and ordered Netflix to refund affected subscribers.
—
Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Swalwell's attorneys said in their letter that there was no justification for releasing the files, especially since the congressman had assisted the FBI in its investigation.
—Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
Gemini 3 Pro invented elaborate technical justifications for marking incorrect answers as correct, reasoning that doing so would bring the peer’s score above the shutdown threshold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
The film offers less of a justification than an explanation, telling the story of how someone so talented could struggle with addiction.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justification
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Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Swalwell's attorneys said in their letter that there was no justification for releasing the files, especially since the congressman had assisted the FBI in its investigation.
—Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
Gemini 3 Pro invented elaborate technical justifications for marking incorrect answers as correct, reasoning that doing so would bring the peer’s score above the shutdown threshold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
The film offers less of a justification than an explanation, telling the story of how someone so talented could struggle with addiction.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 1 Apr. 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 Apr. 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
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