NOUN (3)

1. something (such as a fact or circumstance) that shows an action to be reasonable or necessary;
- Example: "he considered misrule a justification for revolution"

2. a statement in explanation of some action or belief;

3. the act of defending or explaining or making excuses for by reasoning;
- Example: "the justification of barbarous means by holy ends"- H.J.Muller

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Justification \Jus`ti*fi*ca"tion\, n. [L. justificatio: cf. F.
   justification. See Justify.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. 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;
      as, arguments in justification of the prisoner's conduct;
      his disobedience admits justification.
      [1913 Webster]

            I hope, for my brother's justification, he wrote
            this but as an essay or taste of my virtue. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (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.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Theol.) The act of justifying, or the state of being
      justified, in respect to God's requirements.
      [1913 Webster]

            Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised
            again for our justification.          --Rom. iv. 25.
      [1913 Webster]

            In such righteousness
            To them by faith imputed, they may find
            Justification toward God, and peace
            Of conscience.                        --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (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; as, left
      justification is the most common format for simple
      letters, but left and right justification is typically
      used in books.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

justification
    n 1: something (such as a fact or circumstance) that shows an
         action to be reasonable or necessary; "he considered
         misrule a justification for revolution"
    2: a statement in explanation of some action or belief
    3: the act of defending or explaining or making excuses for by
       reasoning; "the justification of barbarous means by holy
       ends"- H.J.Muller

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

80 Moby Thesaurus words for "justification":
   Intertype, Linotype, Monotype, account, apologetic, apologia,
   beatification, beatitude, blessedness, blessing, canonization,
   cold-type typesetting, composing, composing stick, composition,
   computerized typesetting, consecration, dedication, defense,
   defensibility, devotion, drumhead justice, dueness, dummy,
   enshrinement, equitableness, equity, evenhandedness, exaltation,
   furniture, galley chase, give-and-take, glorification, grace,
   hallowing, hot-metal typesetting, imposition, justice,
   justifiability, justifiableness, justification by works, justness,
   lawfulness, layout, legality, line of type, measure for measure,
   meetness, nemesis, photocomposition, photosetting, phototypesetter,
   phototypesetting machine, poetic justice, properness, propriety,
   purification, quoin, rationale, rationalization, reason,
   retributive justice, right, rightfulness, rightness, rude justice,
   sainthood, sainting, sanctification, scales of justice, setting,
   setting apart, slug, state of grace, summary justice, typesetting,
   typesetting machine, warrantability, warrantedness,
   what is right



Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Justification
   a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature,
   it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins
   of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and
   treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as
   conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.)
   of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law
   are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a
   judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set
   aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense;
   and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all
   the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the
   law (Rom. 5:1-10).

     It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by
   God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of
   his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:3-9).
   Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without
   righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a
   righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law,
   namely, Christ's righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:6-8).

     The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or
   credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus
   Christ. Faith is called a "condition," not because it possesses
   any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only
   instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ
   and his righteousness (Rom. 1:17; 3:25, 26; 4:20, 22; Phil.
   3:8-11; Gal. 2:16).

     The act of faith which thus secures our justification secures
   also at the same time our sanctification (q.v.); and thus the
   doctrine of justification by faith does not lead to
   licentiousness (Rom. 6:2-7). Good works, while not the ground,
   are the certain consequence of justification (6:14; 7:6). (See
   GALATIANS, EPISTLE TO.)