RATIONALIZE definition: 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. See examples of rationalize used in a sentence.
To dismiss or minimize the significance of (something) by means of an explanation or excuse: "He could not rationalize the loss of some thirty thousand American lives in an unsuccessful war" (Robert Dallek).
If you try to rationalize attitudes or actions that are difficult to accept, you think of reasons to justify or explain them. He further rationalized his activity by convincing himself that he was actually promoting peace.
RATIONALIZE meaning: 1 : to think about or describe something (such as bad behavior) in a way that explains it and makes it seem proper, more attractive, etc.; 2 : to find ways to make (something, such as an industry, a company, etc.) waste less time, effort, and money
To make something rational or more rational. Vested interest, united ties, / landed gentry, rationalize. / Look who bought the myth. / By jingo, buy America. (mathematics) To remove radicals, without changing the value of an expression or the roots of an equation.
to make (a system) agree with or work according to reason:[~ + object] to rationalize the payroll system. ra•tion•al•i•za•tion /ˌræʃənəlɪˈzeɪʃən, ˌræʃnəl-/ n. [countable * uncountable]See -ratio-.
Definition of rationalize verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
The meaning of RATIONALIZATION is the act, process, or result of rationalizing : a way of describing, interpreting, or explaining something (such as bad behavior) that makes it seem proper, more attractive, etc.. How to use rationalization in a sentence.
