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
Stop trying to apologize for it and stop trying to rationalize it.
—
Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Had Faas grown to rationalize occasionally changing the credit on photographs over nearly a decade of war?
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
That situation will have to be rationalized and given some streetside real estate.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 29 July 2025
Therefore, according to Irwin, the more effective way to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup would be to weaken the industry by rationalizing U.S. sugar policy.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Had Faas grown to rationalize occasionally changing the credit on photographs over nearly a decade of war?
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
That situation will have to be rationalized and given some streetside real estate.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 29 July 2025
Therefore, according to Irwin, the more effective way to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup would be to weaken the industry by rationalizing U.S. sugar policy.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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Here, Renzi explains how long the doc was in the works, why family members didn’t participate, and how Marco of all people helped Sheen to get off crack.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
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At a time when contentious words dominate our conversations—think insurrection and fascism and fake news and woke—the need for dictionaries to chronicle and explain language, and serve as its watchdog, has never been greater.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That explains why the two-perspective structure couldn’t be justified in an episode like this and exposes the weakness of the conceit in the first place.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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The excitement may be justified, but so is the concern when regulatory structures fail to keep pace with demand.—
Lindsay O'Neill,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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