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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rationalize While rationalizing deception is easy to do, developing the virtue of truthfulness is not. —
Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026 But as another voter rationalizes, the sheer size of the ballot will do more harm than good in the long run. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026 True crime, as a genre, rationalizes its exploitations—people’s tragedies and traumas, recast for popular consumption—by couching the sensationalism in considerations of justice. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026 Winning a title is the only way to justify such a trade — a trade that, on a surface level, is nearly impossible to rationalize for Bridges or roughly 434 other NBA players who don’t fall into the elite category of players who might vindicate trading lock, stock and barrel for them. —James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026 But as another voter rationalizes, the sheer size of the ballot will do more harm than good in the long run. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026 True crime, as a genre, rationalizes its exploitations—people’s tragedies and traumas, recast for popular consumption—by couching the sensationalism in considerations of justice. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026 Winning a title is the only way to justify such a trade — a trade that, on a surface level, is nearly impossible to rationalize for Bridges or roughly 434 other NBA players who don’t fall into the elite category of players who might vindicate trading lock, stock and barrel for them. —James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationalize
Verb
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Mike Jones of The Athletic explains why the lack of top-tier quarterback prospects beyond Fernando Mendoza limits the intrigue typically expected of NFL drafts.— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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One final metric that explains the nature of Bromley’s style is their passing sequences.— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The act of getting high no longer carries the same inherent tension, legal or otherwise, and the niche genre that stoner filmmakers once built around the drug has struggled to justify its own existence.— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
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The Stones fired Jones in June 1969 but would have been justified doing so a couple years earlier.— Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/rationalize. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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