Word
justification
Phoneticsjus·ti·fi·ca·tion
US/ˌdʒəstəfəˈkeɪʃən/
UK/dʒˌʌstɪfɪkˈeɪʃən/
Definitions
01a reason or excuse
n. a good reason or explanation that shows why something is right or fair.
n. a reason, explanation, or excuse that provides convincing or morally acceptable support for a belief or action.
“There is no justification for treating people so unkindly.”
“The board requested a detailed justification for the sudden increase in the project budget before they would approve further funding.”
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'for' or an infinitive 'to'.
02text alignment
n. the way lines of text are lined up on the left, right, or both sides of a page.
n. the adjustment of spacing between words or characters so that text is aligned to one or both margins.
“The document looks more professional with full justification on both sides.”
“The designer argued that left justification improves readability on mobile screens compared to forced full justification.”
Technical
Usage
Commonly used with 'left', 'right', or 'full'.
Synonyms
03religious forgiveness
n. the act of being made right with God or having sins forgiven.
n. the action of declaring or making a person righteous in the sight of God.
“The priest spoke about the justification of the soul through faith.”
“The central debate of the Reformation concerned the nature of justification and whether it was achieved through faith alone or through good works.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Usually uncountable in this theological context.
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialised term in Christian theology; most learners will only encounter it in academic or religious texts.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Academic colleagues have demanded, with justification, that an investigation into his appointment to the faculty of education in 2023, and the subsequent fallout, should include people from outside the university.” “But employment lawyer Sarah Tahamtani says dress codes should be "reasonable, proportionate and capable of justification".” “The risk of cyberbullying is another frequently cited justification for a ban, but Odgers points to studies showing that most children who are being bullied online are also being bullied offline.” Etymology
From Middle English justificacioun, justification, from Middle French justification, from Late Latin iustificationem, justificationem < iustificatio, from iustifico, from Latin iustus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Related words
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/justification