rationalize

The word “rationalize” has 4 syllables: ra-tion-al-ize

It's pronounced as /ˈræʃəˌnaɪz/


What is synonym and antonym for rationalize?

In the thesaurus, “rationalize” has 29 synonyms.

Here are synonyms for rationalize along with examples of usage in sentences.


Synonyms for rationalize

  • absolve
  • account for
  • acquit
  • apply logic
  • attribute
  • condone
  • cop a plea
  • cop out
  • deliberate
  • elucidate
  • excise
  • exculpate
  • excuse
  • exonerate
  • explain
  • explain away
  • extenuate
  • forgive
  • give alibi
  • intellectualize
  • justify
  • make allowance
  • reason
  • reason out
  • reconcile
  • resolve
  • think
  • think through
  • vindicate

Meanings of rationalize

  • verb
    1. To make something rational or more rational.
    2. To justify an immoral act, or illogical behaviour. “The process of thought by which one justifies a discreditable act, and by which one offers to oneself and the world a better motive for one's action than the true motive”.
    3. To remove radicals, without changing the value of an expression or the roots of an equation.
    4. To structure something along modern, efficient and systematic lines, or according to scientific principles. This often includes eliminating duplication and grouping like or similar items.

Example Sentences

  • He tried to rationalize his decision by explaining the costs involved.
  • It's difficult to rationalize her actions when they don't make sense.
  • The company will need to rationalize its expenses to remain profitable.
  • She attempted to rationalize her behavior, but everyone saw through the excuse.
  • We need to rationalize the workflow to make the process more efficient.

On this page you'll find 29 synonyms or another words to rationalize, such as: absolve, account for, acquit, apply logic, attribute, condone, cop a plea.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.

Related Words

debated

  • absorbed
  • academic
  • academical
  • agitated
  • ambiguous
  • analyzed
  • arguable
  • argued
  • assimilated
  • assumed
  • bandied
  • believed
  • broached
  • canvased
  • canvassed
  • challenged
  • chewed on
  • chewed over
  • cogitated
  • conceived
  • concluded
  • considered
  • contemplated
  • contradictable
  • controversial
  • controvertible
  • debatable
  • deliberated
  • determined
  • digested
  • discussed
  • disputable
  • disputed
  • doubtable
  • doubtful
  • dubious
  • entertained
  • equivocal
  • explained
  • explored
  • eyed
  • forged
  • hammered out
  • hypothesized
  • hypothetical
  • iffy
  • impugned
  • inconclusive
  • indecisive
  • introduced
  • issuable
  • kicked around
  • looked at
  • meditated
  • moot
  • mooted
  • negotiable
  • opined
  • perpended
  • pondered
  • posited
  • postulated
  • problematic
  • problematical
  • propounded
  • questionable
  • questioned
  • raised
  • ratiocinated
  • rationalized
  • reasoned
  • refutable
  • reminisced
  • reviewed
  • revolved
  • ruminated
  • second-guessed
  • shaky
  • speculative
  • stirred up
  • studied
  • talked out
  • talked over
  • theoretic
  • theoretical
  • thought
  • turned
  • uncertain
  • weighed

decide

  • OK
  • adjudge
  • adjudicate
  • affirm
  • agree
  • approve
  • arbitrate
  • arrange
  • arrive at conclusion
  • ascertain
  • assume
  • assure
  • authorize
  • award
  • bargain
  • blueprint
  • calculate
  • call shots
  • cast the die
  • chaffer
  • chart
  • chew over
  • choose
  • cinch
  • clarify
  • clear
  • clinch
  • close
  • cogitate
  • come to agreement
  • come to conclusion
  • come to decision
  • commit oneself
  • complete
  • concert
  • conclude
  • confirm
  • conjecture
  • consider
  • construe
  • contemplate
  • contract
  • cull
  • deal
  • debate
  • decree
  • deduce
  • deem
  • define
  • deliberate
  • demonstrate
  • derive
  • design
  • determine
  • dicker
  • dispose of
  • draft
  • draw a conclusion
  • elect
  • end
  • ensure
  • entertain
  • establish
  • extrapolate
  • figure
  • finalize
  • find
  • find out
  • finish
  • fix
  • fix upon
  • form opinion
  • frame
  • gather
  • go down line
  • guess
  • haggle
  • hammer out
  • handpick
  • have final word
  • hear
  • horse-trade
  • illuminate
  • infer
  • insure
  • interpret
  • intrigue
  • judge
  • lay out
  • make a decision
  • make out
  • make up mind
  • maneuver
  • mediate
  • meditate
  • moderate
  • nail
  • name
  • negotiate
  • okay
  • opt
  • philosophize
  • pick
  • plan
  • pledge
  • poll
  • ponder
  • prefer
  • program
  • programme
  • promise
  • prosecute
  • prove
  • purpose
  • question
  • rationalize
  • reach decision
  • read
  • reason
  • redetermine
  • referee
  • rejudge
  • resolve
  • rule
  • ruminate
  • sanction
  • schematize
  • scheme
  • secure
  • select
  • set
  • settle
  • shape
  • show
  • size up
  • specify
  • speculate
  • square away
  • state
  • stipulate
  • study
  • suppose
  • surmise
  • take a stand
  • tap
  • think
  • try
  • umpire
  • understand
  • vote
  • warrant
  • weigh
  • will
  • wind up
  • work out
  • wrap up

decided

  • absolute
  • adjudged
  • adjudicated
  • affirmed
  • apparent
  • appreciable
  • approved
  • arbitrated
  • arranged
  • ascertained
  • assertive
  • assumed
  • assured
  • authorized
  • bald
  • bald-faced
  • barefaced
  • bargained
  • bent
  • black-and-white
  • blueprinted
  • bright-line
  • broad
  • calculated
  • categorical
  • certain
  • chaffered
  • charted
  • chewed over
  • chose
  • cinched
  • clarified
  • clean
  • clean-cut
  • clear
  • clear-cut
  • cleared
  • clinched
  • closed
  • cocksure
  • cogitated
  • cognizable
  • cognoscible
  • completed
  • comprehendible
  • comprehensible
  • concerted
  • concluded
  • confirmed
  • conjectured
  • considered
  • construed
  • contemplated
  • contracted
  • crystal clear
  • culled
  • dealt
  • debated
  • decipherable
  • decisive
  • decreed
  • deduced
  • deemed
  • defined
  • deliberate
  • deliberated
  • demonstrated
  • derived
  • designed
  • destined
  • determined
  • dickered
  • digestible
  • discernable
  • discernible
  • disposed of
  • distinct
  • drafted
  • drew a conclusion
  • earnest
  • elected
  • emphatic
  • ended
  • ensured
  • entertained
  • established
  • evident
  • explicit
  • express
  • extrapolated
  • fair
  • fated
  • fathomable
  • figured
  • finalized
  • finished
  • firm
  • fixed
  • for sure
  • found
  • found out
  • framed
  • gathered
  • graspable
  • guessed
  • haggled
  • hammered out
  • handpicked
  • heard
  • horse-traded
  • illuminated
  • in the bag
  • indisputable
  • inferred
  • inflexible
  • insured
  • intelligible
  • intent
  • interpreted
  • intrigued
  • iron-jawed
  • judged
  • knowable
  • laid out
  • legible
  • lucid
  • luculent
  • luminous
  • made out
  • maneuvered
  • manifest
  • mediated
  • meditated
  • moderated
  • mulish
  • nailed
  • named
  • negotiated
  • nonambiguous
  • noticeable
  • observable
  • obvious
  • okayed
  • on ice
  • open-and-shut
  • opted
  • overt
  • palpable
  • patent
  • pellucid
  • perceptible
  • perspicuous
  • philosophized
  • picked
  • plain
  • planned
  • pledged
  • pondered
  • positive
  • prearranged
  • predetermined
  • preferred
  • programed
  • programmed
  • promised
  • pronounced
  • prosecuted
  • proved
  • purposeful
  • questioned
  • rationalized
  • read
  • readable
  • reasoned
  • recognizable
  • redetermined
  • refereed
  • rejudged
  • resolute
  • resolved
  • ringing
  • ruled
  • ruminated
  • runaway
  • sanctioned
  • schematized
  • schemed
  • secured
  • selected
  • self-evident
  • self-explanatory
  • sensible
  • serious
  • set
  • settled
  • shaped
  • showed
  • simple
  • sized up
  • specified
  • speculated
  • squared away
  • stated
  • stipulated
  • straightforward
  • strong-minded
  • studied
  • supposed
  • sure
  • surmised
  • tangible
  • thought
  • tidy
  • transparent
  • trenchant
  • tried
  • umpired
  • unalterable
  • unambiguous
  • unambivalent
  • unbending
  • uncomplicated
  • undeniable
  • understandable
  • understood
  • undisguised
  • undisputed
  • unequivocal
  • unfaltering
  • unhesitating
  • unmistakable
  • unquestionable
  • unwavering
  • unyielding
  • visible
  • warranted
  • weighed
  • well-defined
  • winded up
  • worked out
  • wound up
  • wrapped up

gather

  • accrete
  • accrue
  • accumulate
  • affiliate
  • agglutinate
  • aggregate
  • ally
  • amass
  • archive
  • arrange
  • ascertain
  • assemble
  • associate
  • assume
  • bag
  • ball
  • band
  • bank
  • batch
  • boost
  • brigade
  • build
  • build up
  • bunch
  • bunch up
  • capture
  • caucus
  • choose
  • clam
  • close with
  • club
  • clump
  • cluster
  • collaborate
  • collate
  • collect
  • combine
  • compile
  • concenter
  • concentrate
  • conclude
  • confederate
  • conglomerate
  • congregate
  • conjecture
  • conjoin
  • connect
  • consolidate
  • consort
  • constellate
  • construe
  • contemplate
  • convene
  • converge
  • cooperate
  • corral
  • couple
  • crop
  • crowd
  • cull
  • cut
  • decide
  • deduce
  • deepen
  • derive
  • draw
  • draw a conclusion
  • draw in
  • drift
  • educe
  • elevate
  • elicit
  • enhance
  • enlarge
  • enrich
  • evoke
  • excite
  • expand
  • expect
  • extend
  • extract
  • extrapolate
  • federate
  • find
  • find out
  • fish
  • flock
  • forage
  • foregather
  • forgather
  • gain
  • gang up
  • garner
  • get together
  • get up
  • get-together
  • glean
  • group
  • grow
  • guess
  • hang around
  • hang out
  • harvest
  • hay
  • heap
  • hear
  • heighten
  • herd
  • hive
  • hoard
  • huddle
  • hunt
  • imagine
  • infer
  • ingather
  • intensify
  • interpret
  • join
  • judge
  • learn
  • link
  • lump
  • make
  • make out
  • make the scene
  • marshal
  • mass
  • maximize
  • meet
  • merge
  • mount
  • mow
  • muster
  • net
  • organize
  • pack
  • philosophize
  • pick
  • pick up
  • pile
  • pile up
  • pluck
  • poke
  • pool
  • pour in
  • press
  • presume
  • punch
  • raise
  • rally
  • rationalize
  • re-collect
  • read
  • reap
  • reason
  • reassemble
  • reckon
  • reconvene
  • regather
  • regroup
  • remeet
  • rendezvous
  • reunite
  • ridge
  • rise
  • round up
  • scare up
  • scrape together
  • seal
  • select
  • show up
  • shrimp
  • snare
  • speculate
  • stack
  • stack up
  • step up
  • stimulate
  • stockpile
  • summon
  • suppose
  • surmise
  • suspect
  • swarm
  • swell
  • systematize
  • take
  • take in
  • thicken
  • think
  • throng
  • trap
  • understand
  • unite
  • wax
  • whale

gathered

  • accreted
  • accrued
  • accumulated
  • affiliated
  • agglutinated
  • aggregated
  • allied
  • amassed
  • archived
  • arranged
  • ascertained
  • assembled
  • associated
  • assumed
  • bagged
  • balled
  • banded
  • banked
  • batched
  • boosted
  • brigaded
  • brought together
  • built up
  • bunched
  • captured
  • caucused
  • clammed
  • clubbed
  • clumped
  • clustered
  • collaborated
  • collated
  • collected
  • collocated
  • combined
  • compiled
  • concentered
  • concentrated
  • concluded
  • confederated
  • conglomerated
  • congregated
  • conjectured
  • conjoined
  • connected
  • consolidated
  • consorted
  • constellated
  • construed
  • contemplated
  • convened
  • converged
  • convoked
  • cooperated
  • corralled
  • coupled
  • cropped
  • crowded together
  • culled
  • cut
  • decided
  • deduced
  • derived
  • drew a conclusion
  • drifted
  • educed
  • elevated
  • elicited
  • enhanced
  • enlarged
  • enriched
  • evoked
  • excited
  • expanded
  • extended
  • extrapolated
  • federated
  • fished
  • flocked
  • foraged
  • foregathered
  • forgathered
  • found out
  • gained
  • ganged up
  • garnered
  • gleaned
  • got together
  • got up
  • grew
  • grouped
  • guessed
  • harvested
  • hayed
  • heaped
  • herded
  • hived
  • hoarded
  • huddled
  • hunted
  • inferred
  • interpreted
  • joined
  • judged
  • linked
  • lumped
  • lumped together
  • made out
  • marshaled
  • massed
  • maximized
  • merged
  • met
  • mobilized
  • mounted
  • mowed
  • mustered
  • netted
  • organized
  • packed
  • philosophized
  • picked
  • picked up
  • piled
  • pooled
  • pressed
  • raised
  • rallied
  • rationalized
  • re-collected
  • read
  • reaped
  • reasoned
  • reassembled
  • reconvened
  • regathered
  • regrouped
  • remet
  • rendezvoused
  • reunited
  • ridged
  • rounded up
  • sealed
  • shrimped
  • snared
  • speculated
  • stacked
  • stepped up
  • stimulated
  • stored
  • summoned
  • supposed
  • surmised
  • swarmed
  • systematized
  • thought
  • thronged
  • trapped
  • understood
  • united
  • whaled

Browse the Thesaurus