rationalize

American  

[rash-uh-nl-ahyz, rash-nl-ahyz] / ˈræʃ ə nlˌaɪz, ˈræʃ nlˌaɪz /

especially British, rationalise

verb (used with object)

rationalizes, present (3rd person singular) rationalized, past participle, past rationalizing present participle

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).

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verb (used without object)

rationalizes, present (3rd person singular) rationalized, past participle, past rationalizing present participle

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 British  

/ 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)

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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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• rationalizing
  present
• rationalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rationalize
  simple
• rationalizes
  simple
• have rationalized
  perfect
• has rationalized
  perfect
• am rationalizing
  progressive
• are rationalizing
  progressive
• is rationalizing
  progressive
• have been rationalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been rationalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• rationalized
  simple
• had rationalized
  perfect
• was rationalizing
  progressive
• were rationalizing
  progressive
• had been rationalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rationalize
  simple
• will have rationalized
  perfect
• will be rationalizing
  progressive
• will have been rationalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rationalize

First recorded in 1810–20; rational + -ize

Explanation

Rationalize means to justify by developing a rationale, or a set of reasons for something. You could rationalize cutting school, saying your classes are boring, but you are still doing what you shouldn't be doing. Rationalize can also mean reorganizing along rational lines––a watchmaker's shop might be set up in a totally illogical way that made sense only to the old owner, whose children will rationalize the shop's organization once the old man dies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rationalize rationalizes rationalized rationalizing

His campaign to combine companies and rationalize industries culminated in U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

“In all of the history of money bail there has never been an attempt to rationalize the money amounts. The money amounts of the bonds are literally picked out of the air.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

"Our findings allowed us to rationalize the critical role of engineering the hydrogen-bond network at the catalyst/electrolyte interface in designing high-efficiency, low-cost AEMWEs," Wu said.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

“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

Some of them sought to rationalize their behavior after the fact, as though fearful that history would judge them for their silence.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Kane, who declined to disclose his average earnings, rationalizes that big losses are just part of the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

“To sing with the gods, you sometimes need a ladder,” Houston rationalizes in the movie.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2022

"If we want to get his attention," one of the chairs of the planning committee rationalizes, "we have to think like him. Act . . . like him."

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2022

Francis just barely refrains from calling her crazy, though he refers to her experiences as “a fantasy” and capably rationalizes this stranger’s behavior.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022

It annoys my father no end, but he rationalizes it by saying, “We live in a service economy. We all have to feed it somehow.”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Unilateral action can be rationalized as acting because it is too cumbersome to mobilize allies whose interests do not align with one’s own.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

“As flows started to reverse and markets rationalized, those spectacular numbers fell into more modest territory. Then the 2022 bear market hit,” Bespoke added, noting that many investors were now stuck with “deeply underwater positions.”

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

Impulse policies, like impulse buys, can work out well or badly but can never be well rationalized.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

“We rationalized that if this area were to burn, the whole town would burn,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025

During her imprisonment, Melita rationalized that she had sacrificed and worked hard to create a better Germany.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

“We’ve probably done more rationalizing the supply chain, for example shutting down plants rather than investing in creating a new manufacturing footprint,” McNamara said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

The agency describes the move as "a step forward in rationalizing its use and promoting its safe and responsible use."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

Far too many people, who also depended on the accused for their livelihoods, ignored complaints and obvious signs of distress or simply looked the other way, rationalizing the incidents as the cost of doing business.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025

I'm a lot better now at rationalizing facts and reminding myself of what those things are, and that helps me not get ahead of myself and have a super emotional reaction to a thing.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2025

This explains how in love, religion, in the moral life, in politics, and elsewhere, belief can withstand the logical assaults of the rationalizing intelligence—its power is found everywhere.

From Essay on the Creative Imagination by Baron, Albert Heyem Nachmen

Related Words

• justify