Pronunciations
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/ˈɹæʃənəlaɪz/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
Verb
To make something rational or more rational.
Usage- British
- English
- Oxford
- US usage
To justify a discreditable act, or irrational behaviour.
Usage- British
- English
- Oxford
- US usage
- Examples
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Vested interest, united ties, / landed gentry, rationalize. / Look who bought the myth. / By jingo, buy America.
To remove radicals, without changing the value of an expression or the roots of an equation.
Usage- British
- English
- Oxford
- US usage
To structure something along modern, efficient and systematic lines, or according to scientific principles. This often includes eliminating duplication and grouping like or similar items.
Usage- British
- English
- Oxford
- US usage
- Examples
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More examples (1)
At our October meeting, Membership Director George Kaufer suggested rationalizing schedules on the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton trains. He had prepared peak-hour schedules with a focus on ensuring that trains to Hoboken alternate more equally with those to New York, rather than having a number of trains to one destination together before a train to the other city.
Verb
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
- Examples
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rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior
he rationalized his lack of success
weed out unwanted or unnecessary things
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet
structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results
- Synonyms
- Examples
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We rationalized the factory's production and raised profits
think rationally; employ logic or reason
- Synonyms
- Examples
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When one wonders why one is doing certain things, one should rationalize
remove irrational quantities from
- Synonyms
- Examples
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This function can be rationalized