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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rationalize
Headed one direction This line of thinking leads in one direction — rationalizing extreme measures in response.
—
David French, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
Vogue’s Favorite Diamond Necklaces Featured in this article Need another reason to rationalize your buy?
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2025
With this setup, and with two stars who have done well playing characters on their respective Houses with a great capacity for rationalizing their cruelty to others, The Girlfriend could easily get away with going back and forth on the blame game for most of its six-hour length.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
This guy needs to do some serious soul searching to rationalize his life existence.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
David French, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
Vogue’s Favorite Diamond Necklaces Featured in this article Need another reason to rationalize your buy?
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2025
With this setup, and with two stars who have done well playing characters on their respective Houses with a great capacity for rationalizing their cruelty to others, The Girlfriend could easily get away with going back and forth on the blame game for most of its six-hour length.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
This guy needs to do some serious soul searching to rationalize his life existence.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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At Sedona Aura Photos, two photos of you (face/body) along with a 22-page report will explain your energies, chakras, state of body and mind and more.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
11 Oct. 2025
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Despite taking place at the White House, the actress explained how the film is not meant to reflect current political times but, instead, raises questions about who holds authority over nuclear weapons.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Benefits and perks Like any travel card with a hefty annual fee, the Atmos Rewards Summit card has a mile-long list of perks that are designed to deliver value that easily justifies the yearly cost.—
David McMillin,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
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Ducati has just refreshed its Multistrada V4 Rally – the most off-road capable in its line of performance adventure touring motorcycles – after three years, with a bunch of tech upgrades to make long journeys more comfortable and justify the slightly higher sticker price.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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