Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb rationalize

5 senses of rationalize

Sense 1
apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationalise -- (defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success")
       => defend, support, fend for -- (argue or speak in defense of; "She supported the motion to strike")

Sense 2
cut, prune, rationalize, rationalise -- (weed out unwanted or unnecessary things; "We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet")
       => extinguish, eliminate, get rid of, do away with -- (terminate, end, or take out; "Let's eliminate the course on Akkadian hieroglyphics"; "Socialism extinguished these archaic customs"; "eliminate my debts")

Sense 3
rationalize, rationalise -- (structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results; "We rationalized the factory's production and raised profits")
       => organize, organise -- (cause to be structured or ordered or operating according to some principle or idea)

Sense 4
rationalize, rationalise -- (think rationally; employ logic or reason; "When one wonders why one is doing certain things, one should rationalize")
       => think, cogitate, cerebrate -- (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere")

Sense 5
rationalize, rationalise -- (remove irrational quantities from; "This function can be rationalized")
       => change, alter, modify -- (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue")