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
True crime, as a genre, rationalizes its exploitations—people’s tragedies and traumas, recast for popular consumption—by couching the sensationalism in considerations of justice.
—
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
Winning a title is the only way to justify such a trade — a trade that, on a surface level, is nearly impossible to rationalize for Bridges or roughly 434 other NBA players who don’t fall into the elite category of players who might vindicate trading lock, stock and barrel for them.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Lisa Simon, chief economist at Revelio Labs, which collects and analyzes public labor market data, also suspects that some companies are pointing to their use of AI to rationalize layoffs.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Each lie is rationalized as politics.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
Winning a title is the only way to justify such a trade — a trade that, on a surface level, is nearly impossible to rationalize for Bridges or roughly 434 other NBA players who don’t fall into the elite category of players who might vindicate trading lock, stock and barrel for them.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Lisa Simon, chief economist at Revelio Labs, which collects and analyzes public labor market data, also suspects that some companies are pointing to their use of AI to rationalize layoffs.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Each lie is rationalized as politics.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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Using a synesthetic logic all his own, Torres explains why Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson is orange, Catholicism is purple, and navy blue is the nefarious color that secretly runs the world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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For an overview of small business tax responsibilities, see IRS Publication 583, which explains general filing and recordkeeping requirements.—
Nancy Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At a time of widespread angst over runaway ticket prices, merely encountering something novel at a concert isn’t enough for many to justify the cost of getting in the door, particularly when superstars like Taylor Swift and SZA are on the road showing that innovation and value can coexist.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Seeing injustice justified with IQ, educators grew increasingly fed up with the indicator in the second half of the 20th century.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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