Rationalizable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The capacity for choices or behaviors to be understood through logical reasoning is essential for justifying decisions within a rational framework
2. It refers to the possibility of actions or beliefs being logically explicable and justifiable within a defined theoretical context or system
3. The ability to explain choices or actions through reasoned logic highlights their justification within a coherent theoretical framework

Etymology: "Rationalizable" is simply "rationalize" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning something that can be made to appear logical or explained by reason. The suffix "-able" comes from Latin "-abilis" through Old French, and it is one of the most productive English endings, attached to verbs to mean "capable of being done." That makes the word's real interest lie in its base. "Rationalize" is the more telling part. It comes from "rational," which descends from Latin "rationalis," relating to reason, and the verb grew from that adjective. Its older sense in English was to make something reasonable or to reason out, while its modern association with explaining away inconvenient facts developed later. So "rationalizable" carries both senses at once: something that can be reasoned out, or something that can be rationalized in the less flattering sense of being excused with plausible-sounding logic.