rationalize
[rash-uh-nl-ahyz, rash-nl-ahyz]
- 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.
- to remove unreasonable elements from.
- to make rational or conformable to reason.
- to treat or explain in a rational or rationalistic manner.
- Mathematics. to eliminate radicals from (an equation or expression): to rationalize the denominator of a fraction.
- Chiefly British. to reorganize and integrate (an industry).
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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.
- to employ reason; think in a rational or rationalistic manner.
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Also especially British, ra·tion·al·ise.
Origin of rationalize
Usage note
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for rationalize
Contemporary Examples
Because as an actor, you have to rationalize his decisions constantly.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
Let us not rationalize or attempt to justify an expulsion that in our hearts we know is wrong.
Why I Joined 775 Rabbinic Colleagues in Opposing the Dispossession of Bedouin IsraelisRabbi Gilah Langner
November 6, 2013
Rather than rationalize the tax code, or reform entitlements, the government has taken a cleaver to discretionary spending.
They rationalize away the facts, defend their position, and actually become more fervent.
Asked by his interviewer, Chemi Shalev, about anti-Muslim discimination, Foxman sought to rationalize it.
Historical Examples
The end result is that one can only rationalize about his behavior.
A Practical Guide to Self-HypnosisMelvin Powers
I only knew what I was; nor could I rationalize on why I had become this way.
Each Man KillsVictoria Glad
Sitting in his living room, Raul tried to rationalize his own actions.
When the Owl CriesPaul Bartlett
I cleared my mind and tried to rationalize the things around us.
The Beasts in the VoidPaul W. Fairman
I can't imagine how his mind works to rationalize for his behavior.
Jack of No TradesCharles Cottrell
rationalize
rationalise
- to justify (one's actions, esp discreditable actions, or beliefs) with plausible reasons, esp after the event
- psychol to indulge, often unchallenged, in excuses for or explanations of (behaviour about which one feels uncomfortable or guilty)
- to apply logic or reason to (something)
- to eliminate unnecessary equipment, personnel, or processes from (a group of businesses, factory, etc), in order to make it more efficient
- (tr) maths to eliminate one or more radicals without changing the value of (an expression) or the roots of (an equation)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for rationalize
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
rationalize
(răsh′ə-nə-līz′)- To make rational.
- To devise self-satisfying but false or inconsistent reasons for one's behavior, especially as an unconscious defense mechanism through which irrational acts or feelings are made to appear rational to oneself.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.