Illogicalize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Rendering an argument, plan or belief unreasonable or contrary to sound reasoning, so that it no longer makes sense
2. Making a line of thought or a situation incoherent by stripping away its logical basis and consistency
3. Turning something rational into something unreasonable, undermining its internal logic and coherence

Etymology: "Illogicalize" is a plain English formation: the adjective "illogical" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" added at the end. "Illogical" itself is older, built in English from "logical" with the negative prefix "il-", the form of "in-" used before a stem beginning with "l". "Logical" traces back through Latin "logicalis" to Greek "logikos", meaning "of reason or speech," from "logos." The verb is much later than its parts. Its main sense is to make something illogical, or to treat it as illogical, and it is a rare, mostly informal coinage that dictionaries record without a clear first date. The suffix "-ize" (spelled "-ise" in British usage) has been used since Greek to form verbs meaning "to make or cause to be," so the word follows a common pattern rather than a deliberate invention. Its existence reflects how readily English adds "-ize" to adjectives, a process that has produced many verbs like "modernize" and "normalize."