as in to explain
to give the reason for or cause of
rationalized his decision to buy the new car by noting that it was more fuel efficient than his old vehicle
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Recent Examples of rationalize
The group again tries to rationalize the morality of killing the baby.
—
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Walking the Talk as a Role Model Too many leaders assume organizational rules don't apply to them, creating double standards and rationalizing inappropriate behavior.
—Joseph Folkman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
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.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
The unraveling started a few years earlier when the aerospace company that owned them decided to rationalize and get itself out of the car business.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Walking the Talk as a Role Model Too many leaders assume organizational rules don't apply to them, creating double standards and rationalizing inappropriate behavior.
—Joseph Folkman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
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.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
The unraveling started a few years earlier when the aerospace company that owned them decided to rationalize and get itself out of the car business.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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Police officials will explain how the new police drones can be remotely deployed and piloted toward the scene of an incident from docks placed across the city.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
26 July 2025
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Malone explained that over time, however, your brain adapts by adding more adenosine receptors, which makes caffeine less effective at the same dose.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
25 July 2025
Verb
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However, the Commission did not indicate any sudden or unexpected event that would justify the urgency.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Lay of the land Advocates for the Golden Dome point to recent events to justify the program.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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