as in excuse
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
offered a weak justification for why he was so late
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Recent Examples of justification
Officials have helped amplify unverified claims about fraud perpetuated by the Somali community, which was used in part as a justification to crack down on the state.
—
Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 31 Jan. 2026
But Russians who spoke to NBC News, experts and even the country’s hard-line pro-war bloggers have questioned this justification.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
There was absolutely no justification for the use of deadly force in this situation — none.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Whatever one believes about the justification—or lack thereof—for these killings, there should be no objection to independent investigations that thoroughly examine the facts.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justification
Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 31 Jan. 2026
But Russians who spoke to NBC News, experts and even the country’s hard-line pro-war bloggers have questioned this justification.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
There was absolutely no justification for the use of deadly force in this situation — none.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Whatever one believes about the justification—or lack thereof—for these killings, there should be no objection to independent investigations that thoroughly examine the facts.
—Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for justification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justification
Noun
-
Even though most job cuts don’t appear to be tied to AI automation, companies are using the technology as an excuse to make routine headcount reductions, according to management experts.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Then again, someone like Charli doesn’t exactly need an excuse to embrace the theatrical.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are, once again, a few reasons for this.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The 2026 reason to sending rockets into space has to do with infrastructure — first, internet satellites, and now, AI data centers in orbit, Bloomberg’s Matt Levine writes.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justification. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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