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
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Recent Examples of rationalize
At first, these moments can feel easy to rationalize.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 May 2026
And time and again, high fuel prices have been the most powerful catalyst for change, separating the winners and forcing weaker players to rationalize, consolidate or be eliminated, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on an earnings call last week.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
Investment was strategy – a key obligation to deliver on the business plan that would rationalize our valuation.
—Samuel Mueller, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Instead of obsessively over-rationalizing or avoiding, try making friends with that feeling.
—Goth Shakira
contributing, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 May 2026
And time and again, high fuel prices have been the most powerful catalyst for change, separating the winners and forcing weaker players to rationalize, consolidate or be eliminated, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on an earnings call last week.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
Investment was strategy – a key obligation to deliver on the business plan that would rationalize our valuation.
—Samuel Mueller, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Instead of obsessively over-rationalizing or avoiding, try making friends with that feeling.
—Goth Shakira
contributing, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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Recovery of the bodies has been slow because of the chemicals and other hazards present at the site, Amos explained.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
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Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The screaming headlines followed by the official oops that came in the wake of the announcement of the 1996 Mars rock is something scientists are justified in wanting to keep off their resumes.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 June 2026
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Perhaps the Thunder would see the upside of a SGA-Giannis-J-Dub core as justifying the risk of cutting down their depth to that extent.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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