justification

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act of justifying.
2. n. The condition or fact of being justified.
3. n. Something, such as a fact or circumstance, that justifies: considered misgovernment to be a justification for revolution. See Synonyms at apology.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of justifying, or of showing something to be just or right; proof of fairness, propriety, or right intention; vindication; exculpation; upholding.
2. n. Specifically In law: The showing of a sufficient reason in court why a defendant did what he is called to answer: as, a plea in justification.
3. n. Proof by a surety offered for a party of whom security is required in legal proceedings that he is of adequate pecuniary ability.
4. n. In theology, the act by which the soul is reconciled to God. According to Roman Catholic authority, justification is an act by which God imparts his own character to the believer, making him truly just or righteous. According to the common Protestant doctrine, it is a forensic act by which, on certain conditions, God treats as just or righteous one who is not personally worthy of such treatment. In this sense it is nearly equivalent to the forgiveness of sins.
5. n. The act of adjusting or making exact; the act of fitting together, as the parts of anything: as, the justification of lines or types, in printing.
6. n. Synonyms and Exculpation, exoneration.

Wiktionary

1. n. A reason, explanation, or excuse which provides convincing, morally acceptable support for behavior or for a belief or occurrence.
2. n. typography The alignment of text to the left margin (left justification), the right margin (right justification), or both margins (full justification).

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of justifying or the state of being justified; a showing or proving to be just or conformable to law, justice, right, or duty; defense; vindication; support.
2. n. (Law) The showing in court of a sufficient lawful reason why a party charged or accused did that for which he is called to answer.
3. n. (Theol.) The act of justifying, or the state of being justified, in respect to God's requirements.
4. n. (Print.) Adjustment of type (in printing), or of the final spacing of printed text, by spacing it so as to make it exactly fill a line, or line up at one edge of the allotted portion of the printed page; adjustment of a cut so as to hold it in the right place; also, the leads, quads, etc., used for making such adjustment.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the act of defending or explaining or making excuses for by reasoning
2. n. something (such as a fact or circumstance) that shows an action to be reasonable or necessary
3. n. a statement in explanation of some action or belief