justification

American  

[juhs-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌdʒʌs tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a reason, fact, circumstance, or explanation that justifies or defends.

   His insulting you was ample justification for you to leave the party.

2. an act of justifying.

   The painter's justification of his failure to finish on time didn't impress me.

3. the state of being justified.

4. Also called justification by faith.  Theology. the act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin.

5. Printing. the spacing of words and letters within a line of type so that all full lines in a column have even margins both on the left and on the right.

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justification British  

/ ˌdʒʌstɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. reasonable grounds for complaint, defence, etc

2. the act of justifying; proof, vindication, or exculpation

3. theol

   1. the act of justifying

   2. the process of being justified or the condition of having been justified

4. Also called: justification by faith.  Protestant theol the doctrine that God vindicates only those who repent and believe in Jesus

5. printing computing the process of adjusting interword spacing in text or data so that both right and left margins are straight

6. computing the process of moving data right or left so that the first or last character occurs in a predefined position

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Other Word Forms

• prejustification noun
• rejustification noun
• superjustification noun

Etymology

Origin of justification

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin jūstificātiōn-, stem of jūstificātiō, from jūstificāt(us) “justified” (past participle of jūstificāre; justify ) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel this summer wrote a separate legal justification for the administration’s strikes on vessels allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the expertise of US, British and Danish experts, we consider the various options the president may be looking at, and the possible justification for each one.

From BBC

However, the ship’s new Russian registration now complicates the U.S. legal justification for boarding it, experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

West Midlands Police have repeatedly mentioned the unrest surrounding a Maccabi match in Amsterdam in November 2024, as part of the justification for the ban.

From BBC

The ambassador for Venezuela, Samuel Moncada, said his country had been the target of an "illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification".

From BBC

Related Words

• apology
• approval
• argument
• basis
• confirmation
• explanation
• pretext
• rationale
• rationalization
• vindication