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rationalization

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

verb (used with object)

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.

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

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

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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Rationalization is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Also, especially British, ra·tion·al·ise.

Origin:
1810–20; rational + -ize

Related forms

ra·tion·al·i·za·tion, noun

ra·tion·al·iz·er, noun

non·ra·tion·al·i·za·tion, noun

non·ra·tion·al·ized, adjective

o·ver·ra·tion·al·i·za·tion, noun

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o·ver·ra·tion·al·ize, verb, -ized, -iz·ing.

sem·i·ra·tion·al·ized, adjective

un·ra·tion·al·ized, adjective

un·ra·tion·al·iz·ing, adjective

COLLAPSE

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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To rationalization

Example Sentences

For human beings to consume their heirs' habitat requires denial and rationalization.

So much rationalization and bad faith on this subject.

He explains his idea of rationalization rather openly too.

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For human beings to consume their heirs' habitat requires denial and rationalization.

So much rationalization and bad faith on this subject.

He explains his idea of rationalization rather openly too.

Common sense, pragmatism and rationalization take precedence over the trends, emotions an attachment.

Either way, the rationalization is that nothing needs to be done.

Bush has lost his rationalization for high military spending, not its cause.

Now, two years later, that rationalization seems a bit thin.

The rational basis test for equal protection allows post-facto rationalization.

On top of this is the defensiveness and rationalization of the community as a whole to back up its individual members.

Our amazing powers of rationalization will carry us forward until then.

They accused school administrators of rationalization and waste, scare tactics and intimidation.

Claiming that students are utterly unlike any of their predecessors in prior ages smacks of rationalization to me.

There is no justification, no excuse, no rationalization that can ever make this crime go away.

The outdoor real estate fair dramatizes the economic rationalization.

There is a problem with such exaggerated leniency and rationalization.

The rationalization of the lower standard of living for younger generations has begun.

On a little reflection, though, that rationalization doesn't hold up.

Rationalization and minimization are their biggest friends.

By countenancing abuse of civilians, it can also reinforce the ends-justify-the-means rationalization of terrorism.

No amount of rationalization can explain why a president would grant a pardon to someone who has renounced this country.

Film criticism, as it has been observed, is the rationalization of taste into theory.

Andrew was an acknowledged expert in rationalization of complex.

But proponents say the law is a much-needed rationalization of the way the government stores and tests blood from newborns.

Also, any explanation of our systems' structure should include some rationalization of the local matter.

The difference is that now the artist, who is also a critic, has mastered the art of rationalization.

Maybe religion is only the rationalization of our internal prejudices.

Oftentimes, animal pictures make the unhappy mistake of attributing almost human rationalization to simple four-footed beasts.

That's what climatology is all about these days: the rationalization away of conflicting.

The little guy, the rationalization goes, needs a break.

They do not offer superior expertise but introduce a powerful factor of rationalization.

Deregulation and consolidation go hand in handAnd there will be a great rationalization of networks.

But this is a pale rationalization that downgrades the hunger of entire families.

But maybe some of the smaller companies could get together, for rationalization has certainly not completed its course," he said.

In some cases, asking someone to explain why they read is to invite an elegant rationalization.

Naturally, this flight of rationalization would not go unpunished.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

rationalize or rationalise (ˈræʃənəˌlaɪz)

—vb
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)

rationalise or rationalise

—vb

rationali'zation or rationalise

—n

rationali'sation or rationalise

—n

'rationalizer or rationalise

—n

'rationaliser or rationalise

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

rationalize ra·tion·al·ize (rāsh'ə-nə-līz')
v. ra·tion·al·ized, ra·tion·al·iz·ing, ra·tion·al·iz·es

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.

ra'tion·al·i·za'tion (rāsh'ə-nə-lĭ-zā'shən) n.

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"English general and singular terms, identity, quantification, and the whole bag of ontological tricks may be correlated with elements of the native language in any of various mutually incompatible ways, each compatible with all possible linguistic data, and none preferable to another save as favored by a rationalization of the native language that is simple and natural to us."

-Willard Van Orman Quine

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