rationalize

especially British, ra·tion·al·ise

[rash-uh-nl-ahyz, rash-nl-ahyz]

verb (used with object)

rationalized, rationalizing 

1. 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.

2. to remove unreasonable elements from.

3. to make rational or conformable to reason.

4. to treat or explain in a rational or rationalistic manner.

5. Mathematics.,  to eliminate radicals from (an equation or expression).

   to rationalize the denominator of a fraction.

6. Chiefly British.,  to reorganize and integrate (an industry).

verb (used without object)

rationalized, rationalizing 

1. 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.

2. to employ reason; think in a rational or rationalistic manner.

rationalize

/ ˈræʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to justify (one's actions, esp discreditable actions, or beliefs) with plausible reasons, esp after the event

2. psychol to indulge, often unchallenged, in excuses for or explanations of (behaviour about which one feels uncomfortable or guilty)

3. to apply logic or reason to (something)

4. to eliminate unnecessary equipment, personnel, or processes from (a group of businesses, factory, etc), in order to make it more efficient

5. (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

• rationalization noun
• rationalizer noun
• nonrationalized adjective
• overrationalize verb
• semirationalized adjective
• unrationalized adjective
• unrationalizing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rationalize¹

First recorded in 1810–20; rational + -ize

Example Sentences

Businesses can rationalize private air travel all they want.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

On Thursday, the State Department announced it would review the legal status of immigrants who praised, rationalized or made light of Kirk’s death.

Read more on Salon

Eugenics fell out of favor when the Nazis used it to rationalize the Holocaust and other genocidal policies.

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There have been twisted efforts to rationalize what he said here, but the context of his entire sermon made his meaning quite clear.

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But the novel’s truest setting is an emotional one, anyway; Berman’s gift is for revealing the ways that attachment warps into envy, and how we rationalize or ignore those emotions even while they consume us.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• justify