Rationalize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹæʃənəlaɪz/

Definitions

1. To attempt to justify actions or feelings with logical reasons, whether true or not ; to arrange or streamline a system or process to improve efficiency
2. To provide reasons that make behavior or beliefs seem reasonable and acceptable ; to simplify or optimize operations for better performance
3. To explain or defend conduct using plausible but not always accurate reasons ; to restructure methods or procedures systematically for increased effectiveness

Etymology: "Rationalize" entered English from French "rationaliser," and its underlying parts are the adjective "rational" and the verbal suffix "-ize." Those two pieces go back to Latin "ratio," meaning reckoning, calculation or reason, which gave English both "reason" and "ratio." The suffix comes from Greek "-izein," used to form verbs meaning "to make or make like." The verb's sense of explaining something with reasons is a later development than its first uses. Its earliest meanings were about making something conform to reason or logic, and in mathematics it came to mean rewriting a fraction or expression so that its denominator is a rational number. The sense of offering plausible reasons for an action or belief, often after the fact and sometimes for behavior that has other motives, grew out of that broader idea of bringing things into a reasonable order.

Synonyms: justify, explain, defend, clarify, validate

Antonyms: invalidate, disprove, refute, contradict, deny