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 president rationalized his decision, in part, by pointing to trade deficits.
—
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
If and when states stop invoking the norm against territorial conquest or rationalizing their actions in ways that indicate at least a shallow allegiance to it, the norm will have died.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
If Jude’s previous two fiction films were Molotov cocktails of indignation, his latest secretes a kind of scentless poison that gets at the banality with which social injustices are processed and rationalized.
—Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Find another scapegoat to rationalize your assault on the crown jewels of American progress — our colleges and universities that until now have attracted the best and the brightest from our country and all over the world.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
If and when states stop invoking the norm against territorial conquest or rationalizing their actions in ways that indicate at least a shallow allegiance to it, the norm will have died.
—Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025
If Jude’s previous two fiction films were Molotov cocktails of indignation, his latest secretes a kind of scentless poison that gets at the banality with which social injustices are processed and rationalized.
—Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Find another scapegoat to rationalize your assault on the crown jewels of American progress — our colleges and universities that until now have attracted the best and the brightest from our country and all over the world.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
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If yes, please explain: Only at the misdemeanor level.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The myth that trans women are a danger to cis women is a grossly transphobic stereotype with almost no real-world justification, but Rowling pins most of her anti-trans arguments on it, using her experience as a survivor of domestic abuse to justify her prejudice.—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
18 Apr. 2025
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The funding freezes and cuts have been imposed before the completion of full investigations, and different legal rationales have been offered to justify them.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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