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self-justification

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

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

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Justification of one's self.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • That's key, buried as it is in a swamp of self-justification.

    Archive 2009-07-01 2009

  • Editors and producers rarely respond individually to complaints and, if they do, do so with question-raising answers and self-justification.

    BBC is 'confusing cause and effect' in its Israeli coverage 2011

  • But Odets's reputation never really recovered from his HUAC appearance; today his early plays are largely dismissed as propaganda and his later ones as self-justification.

    Rocket to the Moon revived 2011

  • I still like my confession analogy (and it is distinguishable from the other practices MB lists precisely becuase it deals with repentence, as opposed to some form of self-justification), but I'm not inclined to press the point for those unpersuaded by it.

    Sen. Ted Kennedy's right to a Catholic funeral 2009

  • But that intimacy can trap a writer into a defensive crouch, into airing grievances or self-justification.

    Deconstructing Obama Jack Cashill 2011

  • Take a civil union and walk on ..... the fight remains to revolve about a word with religious definition, again this is all about self-justification of one's sexual preference .... ligtningbolt

    DC Mayor to sign same sex marriage bill 2009

  • Then, suddenly, Bartiromo spun around and called out after him, in a tone that expressed something between self-justification and apology, “I know you have an impossible job!”

    Inside Man 2010

  • Then, suddenly, Bartiromo spun around and called out after him, in a tone that expressed something between self-justification and apology, “I know you have an impossible job!”

    Inside Man 2010

  • I am left thinking that Snyder's childish needs for self-justification and revenge are overpowering what should be mature judgments in his mid-40s about how a prominent, wealthy, powerful sports team owner should behave.

    Friendly advice for Redskins owner Dan Snyder: Please get help Robert McCartney 2011

  • In a front page article in Sunday's Washington Post, Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, was in full self-justification mode: "When you're sitting in government and you're told that ignoring that advice"—to temper U.S. rhetoric and action in Libya—"could endanger American citizens, that's a line you don't feel very comfortable crossing."

    The Reluctant American 2011

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