Justification: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when providing evidence or arguments to support a decision, action, or belief, often in formal or legal contexts.

• The company needed a solid justification for its budget increase
• He had no justification for his rude behavior

Use when confirming the legitimacy or accuracy of something, often in experimental, technical, or social contexts. It can also imply approval or recognition.

• The scientist sought validation for her new theory
• He needed validation from his peers to feel confident about his project

Use when clarifying or making something understandable, often in everyday situations or educational contexts.

• The teacher gave a clear explanation of the math problem
• Can you give me an explanation for why you were late?

Use when discussing the mental process of thinking about and understanding something, often in analytical or philosophical contexts.

• Her reasoning was logical and well thought out
• The article examines the reasoning behind the new law

This word can also refer to text alignment in documents, especially in terms of spacing lines evenly.

• The text needs to be in full justification to look professional.
• Left justification is often used for quick readability in documents.

This word is appropriate when talking about how things line up with each other, whether physically or in terms of goals and objectives.

• The wheels need to be in alignment for the car to drive straight.
• There is a good alignment between our company's goals and our team's skills.

This is used when you organize or put things in a specific order or layout.

• The floral arrangement on the table was beautiful.
• We need to discuss the seating arrangement for the conference.

This word is suitable in situations involving the structuring or organizing of text or documents.

• Make sure the formatting of the report is consistent throughout the document.
• She spent hours formatting her dissertation to meet the academic requirements.

This word is often used when explaining the reason or reasoning behind an action or a decision, especially in formal or serious situations.

• She had to provide a solid justification for her request for additional funding

Used in formal contexts to present a coherent and logical explanation for a decision, idea, or belief.

• The board asked for the rationale behind the new policy
• He explained the rationale for the proposed changes

Typically employed in legal, formal, or serious contexts to refer to the basis or reason for an action, claim, or belief.

• The lawyer argued that there were no grounds for the lawsuit
• He was dismissed on the grounds of misconduct