self-justification
noun
self-jus·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌself-ˌjə-stə-fə-ˈkā-shən 
: the act or an instance of making excuses for oneself
Examples of self-justification in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our brains are, famously, self-justification machines, so if climate imperatives can eventually push us to eat less meat, that might start to shift values in favor of animal rights, as people no longer need to search for rationalizations for eating factory farmed animals.
—
Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024
This connects to how the Puberty Alarm cartoon substitutes for the egotism some people never outgrow — the self-justification featured in groomer films such as Eighth Grade and Love, Simon and Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 June 2024
The major predicament for contemporary Jews of all varieties, in his view, is not that the struggle for meaning and self-justification is too burdensome or intractable.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024
Specific behaviors breed byzantine worldviews that emerge out of self-justification.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
This is in line with findings from a 2017 study led by psychologist and researcher Noelle Nelson that focusing on your emotions, rather than thinking about the failure (which tends to generate self-justification), helps people learn and improve.
—TIME, 2 Jan. 2024
But perhaps this is merely so much self-justification.
—Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harper's Magazine, 8 Dec. 2021
And Taylor is hilarious as a very stoned listener to Harvey’s self-justifications.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2023
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.
Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024
This connects to how the Puberty Alarm cartoon substitutes for the egotism some people never outgrow — the self-justification featured in groomer films such as Eighth Grade and Love, Simon and Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 June 2024
The major predicament for contemporary Jews of all varieties, in his view, is not that the struggle for meaning and self-justification is too burdensome or intractable.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024
Specific behaviors breed byzantine worldviews that emerge out of self-justification.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
This is in line with findings from a 2017 study led by psychologist and researcher Noelle Nelson that focusing on your emotions, rather than thinking about the failure (which tends to generate self-justification), helps people learn and improve.
—TIME, 2 Jan. 2024
But perhaps this is merely so much self-justification.
—Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harper's Magazine, 8 Dec. 2021
And Taylor is hilarious as a very stoned listener to Harvey’s self-justifications.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near self-justification
Cite this Entry
“Self-justification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-justification. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share