justification

The word “justification” means a reason or explanation that shows an action or belief to be reasonable or acceptable. In plain terms, a reason that makes something seem acceptable, or, in typesetting, how text lines up on the page.

“Justification” is pronounced juhs-tih-fih-KAY-shuhn (/ˌd͡ʒʌstɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “justification” used in a sentence: “She couldn't find any justification for the delay.”

The opposite of “justification” — its antonyms — are condemnation and conviction.

“Justification” is a noun.

The word “justification” comes from Late Latin. From Late Latin iustificatio, from iustificare, "to make just.".

“Justification” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Justification” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a reason or explanation that shows an action or belief to be reasonable or acceptable.

A justification is a reason or explanation that shows an action or belief to be reasonable or acceptable, implying the action was actually right or defensible. An excuse, by contrast, often acknowledges a fault while trying to lessen blame, without necessarily claiming the action was correct.

In typography and word processing, justification refers to aligning text so that its edges line up evenly along a margin, most commonly seen as "full justification," where both the left and right edges of a paragraph are flush.

Justification and rationale are closely related, but justification tends to emphasize defending or proving an action was acceptable, while rationale more neutrally lays out the underlying reasoning behind a decision.