rationalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to ascribe (one's acts, opinions, etc.) to causes that superficially seem reasonable and valid but that actually are unrelated to the true, possibly unconscious and often less creditable or agreeable causes.
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to remove unreasonable elements from.
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to make rational or conformable to reason.
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to treat or explain in a rational or rationalistic manner.
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Mathematics. to eliminate radicals from (an equation or expression).
to rationalize the denominator of a fraction.
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Chiefly British. to reorganize and integrate (an industry).
verb (used without object)
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to invent plausible explanations for acts, opinions, etc., that are actually based on other causes.
He tried to prove that he was not at fault, but he was obviously rationalizing.
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to employ reason; think in a rational or rationalistic manner.
verb
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to justify (one's actions, esp discreditable actions, or beliefs) with plausible reasons, esp after the event
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psychol to indulge, often unchallenged, in excuses for or explanations of (behaviour about which one feels uncomfortable or guilty)
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to apply logic or reason to (something)
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to eliminate unnecessary equipment, personnel, or processes from (a group of businesses, factory, etc), in order to make it more efficient
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(tr) maths to eliminate one or more radicals without changing the value of (an expression) or the roots of (an equation)
Usage
Although rationalize retains its principal 19th-century senses “to make conformable to reason” and “to treat in a rational manner,” 20th-century psychology has given it the now more common meaning “to ascribe (one's acts, opinions, etc.) to causes that seem reasonable but actually are unrelated to the true, possibly unconscious causes.” Although the possibility of ambiguity exists, the context will usually make clear which sense is intended.
Other Word Forms
- nonrationalized adjective
- overrationalize verb
- rationalization noun
- rationalizer noun
- semirationalized adjective
- unrationalized adjective
- unrationalizing adjective
Etymology
Origin of rationalize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We will absolutely have to rationalize the overall corporate overhead of the company,” Ellison said after being asked about the possibility of layoffs.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 7, 2026
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins in a presentation mostly aimed at showing that the agencies would harmonize their rules to promote cryptocurrency innovation and rationalize margin collateral requirements in securities markets.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
Dahlia Lithwick: There is a very human propensity, especially in times of crisis, to normalize and rationalize and temporize.
From Slate • Dec. 17, 2025
This is what makes true high-speed expensive and hard to rationalize in a country whose weblike intercity travel patterns make it better suited to air transport.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Rather it seems that an aspect of human nature is the tendency to cling tightly to one’s advantages and privileges and to rationalize the suffering and exclusion of others.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
