What does it mean to 'justify' text in a document?

Justifying text in a document means adjusting it so that it aligns evenly along both the left and right margins. This creates a clean and professional appearance, as the text stretches to fill the entire width of the column or page. In a justified format, the space between words is adjusted to ensure that each line ends at the same point on the right, which can enhance readability and provide a formal look to documents such as reports, essays, or newsletters. This format is often used in typesetting and formal print materials.

Other alignment options, while useful in certain contexts, do not achieve this balanced effect; for instance, aligning text to the left margin keeps the right side uneven, center-aligning places the text evenly from the center without regard for the edges, and leaving text unformatted results in a lack of alignment altogether.