Rationalizations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of creating logical reasons or excuses to justify actions or beliefs, often to address feelings of guilt or defensiveness
2. Making explanations that appear reasonable but might not reflect the truth behind decisions or behaviors
3. Strategies employed to alleviate cognitive dissonance by framing actions or thoughts in a more acceptable way

Etymology: "Rationalizations" is the plural of "rationalization," and the word's core history lies in the sense that made it useful to moralists: making a fact look reasonable after the fact. The noun traces back to the Latin "rationalis," from "ratio" (reason, calculation), and reached English through French "rationalisation." The earliest recorded English use dates to 1831, when the word meant the process of reducing something to rational terms or explaining it by reason. The modern sense, a justification offered for behavior whose real motives are different or unflattering, developed later, drawing on the psychological idea of rationalizing one's conduct to oneself. The word's structure is transparent: "rational" plus the suffix "-ize" (to make into) plus the noun ending "-ation" (the act or result of doing so). So a rationalization is literally the result of making an action seem reasonable.

Synonyms: justifications, explanations, excuses

Antonyms: unjustified, irrational