as in explaining
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 rationalizing
As the show began to wrap up, Goldberg aimed to try to tie in the book, asking Vance about rationalizing his Catholic faith with a hard-line stance on immigration.
—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Instead of obsessively over-rationalizing or avoiding, try making friends with that feeling.
—
Goth Shakira
contributing,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Reenvisioning platforms is about rationalizing the toolset to optimize investments and realize measurable business value.
—
Ashwin Gaidhani,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2026
While rationalizing deception is easy to do, developing the virtue of truthfulness is not.
—
Katherine Moses,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
If there were a Mensa society for rationalizing one’s own shitty behavior, Pippa would be its president.
—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Aeffe is rationalizing its retail network and earlier this month the board approved the early termination of the rental contract signed with two real estate firms, Colloportus and FQuattro, respectively controlled by designer Alberta Ferretti and her brother, executive chairman Massimo Ferretti.
—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
This time, rationalizing the medical results was impossible.
—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Boards under pressure for growth routinely make the wrong choice—rationalizing the damage as a problem for their successors.
—
Andrew King,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Instead of obsessively over-rationalizing or avoiding, try making friends with that feeling.
—
Goth Shakira
contributing,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Reenvisioning platforms is about rationalizing the toolset to optimize investments and realize measurable business value.
—
Ashwin Gaidhani,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2026
While rationalizing deception is easy to do, developing the virtue of truthfulness is not.
—
Katherine Moses,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
If there were a Mensa society for rationalizing one’s own shitty behavior, Pippa would be its president.
—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Aeffe is rationalizing its retail network and earlier this month the board approved the early termination of the rental contract signed with two real estate firms, Colloportus and FQuattro, respectively controlled by designer Alberta Ferretti and her brother, executive chairman Massimo Ferretti.
—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
This time, rationalizing the medical results was impossible.
—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Boards under pressure for growth routinely make the wrong choice—rationalizing the damage as a problem for their successors.
—
Andrew King,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalizing
Verb
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Infographic explaining Euclid's survey ESA The original image was captured in black and white, but color was added using observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope located in Hawaii.
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The original is a minor Harding work, Bacon said, explaining why judges might not have recognized Allan’s submission as a re-creation.
Verb
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The article emphasizes that effective communication of difficult decisions requires not only clear explanation but also genuine empathy for how people feel, rather than merely justifying actions.
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And yet at the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary defense of the faith and criticizing how the Catholic Church today had deviated from tradition.
Cite this Entry
“Rationalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalizing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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