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
Too many journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israel without justification.
—
Kareem Khadder, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Trump himself has often claimed a much higher figure, citing the intangible value of his brand as justification for estimates exceeding $10 billion.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Just 27% see meaningful alignment between performance and pay levels, suggesting that compensation committees may be approving increases without rigorous performance justification, according to the report.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2025
Ukraine has until now insisted on its right to self-determination on its security partnerships, pushing for eventual ascension into NATO, while Russia has pointed to Ukraine’s potential membership in the security alliance as justification for its war.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for justification
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Kareem Khadder, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Trump himself has often claimed a much higher figure, citing the intangible value of his brand as justification for estimates exceeding $10 billion.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Just 27% see meaningful alignment between performance and pay levels, suggesting that compensation committees may be approving increases without rigorous performance justification, according to the report.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2025
Ukraine has until now insisted on its right to self-determination on its security partnerships, pushing for eventual ascension into NATO, while Russia has pointed to Ukraine’s potential membership in the security alliance as justification for its war.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 18 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 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
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