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
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
To find the best, most up-to-date information, that validation typically involves toggling between PubMed, society guidelines, journal notifications and conference summaries, and then rationalizing information that doesn’t always align.
—Anna Forsythe, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Headed one direction This line of thinking leads in one direction — rationalizing extreme measures in response.
—David French, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
With this setup, and with two stars who have done well playing characters on their respective Houses with a great capacity for rationalizing their cruelty to others, The Girlfriend could easily get away with going back and forth on the blame game for most of its six-hour length.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
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
To find the best, most up-to-date information, that validation typically involves toggling between PubMed, society guidelines, journal notifications and conference summaries, and then rationalizing information that doesn’t always align.
—Anna Forsythe, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Headed one direction This line of thinking leads in one direction — rationalizing extreme measures in response.
—David French, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
With this setup, and with two stars who have done well playing characters on their respective Houses with a great capacity for rationalizing their cruelty to others, The Girlfriend could easily get away with going back and forth on the blame game for most of its six-hour length.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalizing
Verb
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Both Miller and Martinez shared a similar sentiment, explaining that business owners need to be ready to network and create a social media strategy.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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The proposal does not include a summary explaining the purpose of the observance, and no additional details have been published outlining how the dates would be calculated beyond the language in the bill text.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Smith, the leading kratom researcher, has said the emphasis on semisynthetic 7-OH is odd because there is no evidence justifying it, and because the natural kratom alkaloid mitragynine still converts to 7-OH during manufacturing and in the body.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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For CFOs, the challenge is justifying AI spending before returns are visible.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalizing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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