Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalizations
Noun
-
Gaza showed how power brokers from the White House on down seem eager for pretexts to punish dissent in ways that create a chilling effect, and that the hottest rhetoric from activists can be exactly that pretext.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026 -
Hamas says that Israel is creating pretexts to avoid honoring the agreement.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
For Warsh’s critics, the issue is that his rationales have been incoherent, with no discernible pattern except for advocating higher rates under Democrats and lower rates under Republicans.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Trump’s penchant for wielding emergency powers and national security rationales to take trade action has shone a spotlight on this problem.—
Inu Manak,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The challenge is confirming biological activity while eliminating non-biologic explanations.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Gabbard’s office declined to answer questions about the changing explanations for her involvement and pointed to Bondi’s comments.—
David Klepper,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
So while the balance-sheet justifications might shift, the general logic won’t.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In a somewhat baffling aside that failed to meet the moment, Jordan Klepper popped in, supposedly live from Minneapolis, to satirize the ever-shifting goalposts of the administration’s justifications for Pretti’s death.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ratcliffe’s comments align with the arguments made by Britain’s right-wing populist Reform UK party, which ties its anti-immigrant message to protecting the country.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The court is in the middle of a four-week break from hearing arguments and issuing opinions.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Despite the fact that South Korea is obviously, for very understandable reasons, suspicious about Japanese nationalism.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The judge cited the 23-year-old defendant's potential for rehabilitation and difficult upbringing as reasons for the lower sentence.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Populism in all its guises surfaces problems but rarely solves them.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Bad actors can take on all kinds of guises—including pretending to be lawyers.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Rationalizations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalizations. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
