# justification

Pronunciation: US say "jus-ti-fi-KAY-shuhn" /ˌd͡ʒʌstɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/; UK

## Noun

1. A reason, explanation, or excuse that someone believes gives convincing, morally acceptable support for an action, belief, or event.
   - Simple: A good reason that makes an action or belief seem right or fair.
   - _The committee demanded a clear justification for the sudden budget increase._
   - _There is no possible justification for treating loyal workers so harshly._
2. The alignment of text to the left margin, the right margin, or both margins on a page.
   - Simple: The way lines of text line up along the left edge, the right edge, or both edges of a page.
   - _The designer chose left justification to keep the spacing between words even._
   - _Full justification can leave awkward gaps when the columns are narrow._
3. In Christian doctrine, the forgiveness of a person's sins by God, by which the sinner is accepted as righteous.
   - Simple: In Christian belief, being made right with God and freed from the guilt of sin.
   - _The reformers taught that justification is a free gift, not a reward for good deeds._
   - _Paul's letters describe justification as the believer's reconciliation with God._

## Origin

This word comes through Middle English and Middle French from Late Latin iustificatio (from iustifico), which is built on the Latin word iustus meaning 'just'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/justification (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).