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
Grove said the agency’s justifications for consolidating offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, don’t make sense.
—
Karl Hille, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
The numbers and justifications don’t add up.
—Kristen Monsell, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Because the price hikes were found to be imposed without providing customers with valid justifications, the court ruled that the new prices are invalid and ordered Netflix to refund affected subscribers.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
The platform raised prices multiple times between 2017 and 2024 without embedding clear justifications in its contracts.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
Gemini 3 Pro invented elaborate technical justifications for marking incorrect answers as correct, reasoning that doing so would bring the peer’s score above the shutdown threshold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
These fragments often convey shifting or conflicting justifications.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Shapiro’s office also determined that three of MassDOT’s seven selection committee members did not follow the instructions to record their scoring justifications on evaluation worksheets.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Karl Hille, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
The numbers and justifications don’t add up.
—Kristen Monsell, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Because the price hikes were found to be imposed without providing customers with valid justifications, the court ruled that the new prices are invalid and ordered Netflix to refund affected subscribers.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
The platform raised prices multiple times between 2017 and 2024 without embedding clear justifications in its contracts.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
Gemini 3 Pro invented elaborate technical justifications for marking incorrect answers as correct, reasoning that doing so would bring the peer’s score above the shutdown threshold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
These fragments often convey shifting or conflicting justifications.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Shapiro’s office also determined that three of MassDOT’s seven selection committee members did not follow the instructions to record their scoring justifications on evaluation worksheets.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for justifications
Noun
-
Venus and Saturn make this full moon the right time to finally take a look at your figures without excuses.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2026
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Yet both Piker and Tolentino move from discussing nonlethal crimes of nuisance and destruction to making excuses for murder.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, artists make choices in biographical shows for a whole variety of reasons, whether in service of the storytelling, to appease those who would prefer to remain anonymous or even self-protection.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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One of the primary reasons that some car buyers avoid vehicles with electric powertrains is the lengthy duration of charging sessions.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Justifications.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/justifications. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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