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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rationalize
There were all kinds of ways that people tried to rationalize the idea that there was a trend against the Democrats among these groups.
—
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
These units will add to the brand’s main flagship opened in Cairo in 2020, when, following the COVID-19 outbreak, the company decided to rationalize its wholesale presence in favor of a more direct-to-consumer approach.
—Sandra Salibian, WWD, 10 Oct. 2024
Not necessarily for moving away from VMware’s VCF offering, but certainly for rationalizing licensing and deployments.
—Matt Kimball, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
And if Alexander Hamilton was told to equalize something or to rationalize something with other countries, that's a standard.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rationalize 
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
These units will add to the brand’s main flagship opened in Cairo in 2020, when, following the COVID-19 outbreak, the company decided to rationalize its wholesale presence in favor of a more direct-to-consumer approach.
—Sandra Salibian, WWD, 10 Oct. 2024
Not necessarily for moving away from VMware’s VCF offering, but certainly for rationalizing licensing and deployments.
—Matt Kimball, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
And if Alexander Hamilton was told to equalize something or to rationalize something with other countries, that's a standard.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rationalize
Thesaurus Entries Near rationalize
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share