rationalization
Americannoun
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the act or process of ascribing one’s actions, opinions, etc., to causes that seem reasonable and valid but are actually unrelated to the true, possibly unconscious and often less complimentary ones.
Those who torture prisoners believe, in their loftiest rationalizations, that they are committing their deeds for the good of the nation.
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the act or process of making something conformable to reason or to the principle that reason is the highest authority for truth.
In conceiving the world as a Newtonian universe governed by natural laws, Taylor provided the conceptual framework for the rationalization of the world in the 20th century.
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Chiefly British. the act or process of reorganizing and integrating an industry, company, etc., to make it more efficient and profitable.
The film studios were able to achieve such remarkable production figures through a rationalization of their working practices.
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Mathematics. the act or process of eliminating radicals from an equation or expression.
Rationalization will make calculation easier, as the denominator will now be an integer instead of a radical.
Other Word Forms
- nonrationalization noun
- overrationalization noun
Etymology
Origin of rationalization
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This sounds like a standard rationalization made by collectors, as their homes become the stuff of Marie Kondo’s worst nightmares.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
“Marketplace is undergoing a rationalization, addition by subtraction, as we reduce our exposure while the risk pool stabilizes,” Zubretsky said, according to a FactSet transcript.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 23, 2025
Because, as slumping closer Tanner Scott came trotting into a nightmare ninth inning in Baltimore on Saturday night, the club’s color analyst on SportsNet LA immediately tried to offer a rationalization for his entrance.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025
“There is simply no reasonable rationalization for injustice.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023
Tyler talked for a long time, moving through the events quickly but lingering in a wasteland of rationalization and self-recrimination.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
