as in excuses
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 justifications
Administration officials have offered various – and sometimes conflicting – justifications for the war, referencing Iran's growing ballistic missile program, its naval fleet, its network of terror proxy groups across the Middle East, and its nuclear ambitions.
—
Claudia Grisales, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
And with legal, moral, and practical justifications so thin on the ground from the administration, whiplash has ruled the day.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Mar. 2026
But these justifications also feel like something of an excuse.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
In other words, all the old patriotic and moral justifications for our forever wars no longer applied.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
But the administration did not make the case for war to Congress before taking action, and administration officials’ justifications for military intervention have shifted in the days since the initial strikes.
—Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026
And the original justifications given was the nuclear threat and those kinds of things—all of them have just sort of fallen by the wayside.
—Nik Popli, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Critics have charged that the justifications for the military action have been shifting or opaque.
—Justin Papp,pippa Stevens,dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,lee Ying Shan,vinay Dwivedi, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Deputies said 299 justifications to enter the system referenced immigration enforcement, which is less than 1% of the hundreds of thousands of searches.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Claudia Grisales, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
And with legal, moral, and practical justifications so thin on the ground from the administration, whiplash has ruled the day.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Mar. 2026
But these justifications also feel like something of an excuse.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
In other words, all the old patriotic and moral justifications for our forever wars no longer applied.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
But the administration did not make the case for war to Congress before taking action, and administration officials’ justifications for military intervention have shifted in the days since the initial strikes.
—Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026
And the original justifications given was the nuclear threat and those kinds of things—all of them have just sort of fallen by the wayside.
—Nik Popli, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Critics have charged that the justifications for the military action have been shifting or opaque.
—Justin Papp,pippa Stevens,dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,lee Ying Shan,vinay Dwivedi, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Deputies said 299 justifications to enter the system referenced immigration enforcement, which is less than 1% of the hundreds of thousands of searches.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifications
Noun
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Chaps coach Vickie Benson offered no excuses for the loss.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
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With locations in both Brickell and Wynwood, this high-energy karaoke lounge is basically already in your backyard — no excuses.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And one of the reasons Nix wasn’t healthy was that the signal-caller had to pick up more slack in the run game once Dobbins was gone.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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For similar reasons, many of the foundations and artists’ estates once considered the ultimate authorities (like the Keith Haring Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts) have ceased offering authentication services.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifications.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifications. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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