self-jus·ti·fi·ca·tion

(sĕlf′jŭs′tə-fĭ-kā′shən)

The act of making excuses to justify one's actions or behavior.

self′-jus′ti·fy·ing adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

self-justification

the act or an instance of justifying or providing excuses for one's own behaviour, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

self′-justifica′tion

the act or fact of justifying oneself, esp. of offering excessive explanations for one's actions or thoughts.

[1765–75]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

self-justification - a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"

exculpation, excuse, alibi

vindication, defense, defence - the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"

extenuation, mitigation - a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances

Translations

self-justification

[ˌselfˌdʒʌstɪfɪˈkeɪʃən] N → autojustificación f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"I came in with your brother, as I often do," he answered coldly, in self-justification. "We came in the side way.

View in context

THAT was what came of my intended self-justification and plea for mercy!

View in context

She had no sense of chill resolute repulsion, of reticent self-justification such as she had known under Lydgate's most stormy displeasure: all her sensibility was turned into a bewildering novelty of pain; she felt a new terrified recoil under a lash never experienced before.

View in context

He knew equally well that he fed his wrath and hatred, and that he accumulated provocation and self-justification, by being made the nightly sport of the reckless and insolent Eugene.

View in context

It's an exercise in self-justification, and Curtis should let it be.

THIS Beatles juke box musical [...]; A SIMPLE LACK OF LAUGHS MEANS THIS CLEVER PREMISE ABOUT A WORLD THAT'S FORGOTTEN THE BEATLES FALLS STRANGELY FLAT

Though most people are more interested in self-justification, and full of reasons why "marriage sucks".

The unspoken truth about real marriages

We trap ourselves in a "box" of endless self-justification. Most importantly, "Leadership and Self-Deception" shows us the way out.

Leadership and Self-Deception

Everyone feels deeply aggrieved at an enemy from whom he cannot escape, whom he suspects and fears, all are caught in a web of self-justification, bitterness and hatred, each side feels that force is the only language the other side will understands.

War serves no purpose, it is a spiral into destruction and despair

The corporate charlatans are highly skilled at self-justification and shrugging off public outcry.

Fatcats' greed; RECORD View

Also, an apology should focus on the impact on the victim, not the self-justification of the offender.

TALK TO US

In most cases retro-reports can offer only unctuous weasel words of one-sided self-justification, risking (as at Hillsborough) all the confirmation bias and potential for accepting fabricated evidence inherent to inquisitional methods - not the change of hearts and minds required for genuine reform obliging elected and official leaders to base mutual respect upon sharing, and upholding amongst their subordinates (by example in the first instance), the principles of human rights and public service.

Human rights in Carl Sargeant case; LETTERS