RATIONALIZE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rationalize mean? 

• RATIONALIZE (verb)
  The verb RATIONALIZE has 5 senses:

1. defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

2. weed out unwanted or unnecessary things

3. structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results

4. think rationally; employ logic or reason

5. remove irrational quantities from

  Familiarity information: RATIONALIZE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RATIONALIZE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they rationalize    ... he / she / it rationalizes   
Past simple: rationalized   
Past participle: rationalized   
-ing form: rationalizing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

apologise; apologize; excuse; rationalise; rationalize

Context example:

he rationalized his lack of success

Hypernyms (to "rationalize" is one way to...):

defend; fend for; support (argue or speak in defense of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "rationalize"):

color; colour; gloss (give a deceptive explanation or excuse for)

plead (offer as an excuse or plea)

extenuate; mitigate; palliate (lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

rationalization (the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Weed out unwanted or unnecessary things

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

cut; prune; rationalise; rationalize

Context example:

We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet

Hypernyms (to "rationalize" is one way to...):

do away with; eliminate; extinguish; get rid of (terminate, end, or take out)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

rationalise; rationalize

Context example:

We rationalized the factory's production and raised profits

Hypernyms (to "rationalize" is one way to...):

organise; organize (cause to be structured or ordered or operating according to some principle or idea)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

rationalization (the organization of a business according to scientific principles of management in order to increase efficiency)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Think rationally; employ logic or reason

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

rationalise; rationalize

Context example:

When one wonders why one is doing certain things, one should rationalize

Hypernyms (to "rationalize" is one way to...):

cerebrate; cogitate; think (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

rationalization (systematic organization; the act of organizing something according to a system or a rationale)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Remove irrational quantities from

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

rationalise; rationalize

Context example:

This function can be rationalized

Hypernyms (to "rationalize" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

rationalization ((mathematics) the simplification of an expression or equation by eliminating radicals without changing the value of the expression or the roots of the equation)