Rationalize
verb
To find reasons to explain your behavior or choices, to make them seem good or proper, when the real reason may be different.
He tried to rationalize his decision to quit his job and start his own business.
verb
To rearrange or adjust something so as to make it more practical or efficient.
The company decided to rationalize its operations to save money.
Usage tips
Approving
Technical
verb
To apply scientific methods and logic to something so as to make it more consistent and sensible.
Psychologists try to rationalize human emotions and behaviors.
Usage tips
Academic
verb
To find reasons to explain your behavior or choices, to make them seem good or proper, when the real reason may be different.
He tried to rationalize his decision to quit his job and start his own business.
verb
To rearrange or adjust something so as to make it more practical or efficient.
The company decided to rationalize its operations to save money.
Usage tips
Approving
Technical
verb
To apply scientific methods and logic to something so as to make it more consistent and sensible.
Psychologists try to rationalize human emotions and behaviors.
Usage tips
Academic
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/2Self-justification
Used when someone tries to justify a decision or action that others might question or doubt.
After eating the whole cake, Laura tried to rationalize it as a reward for her hard work.
Pro Tip 2/2Defensive Speech
People may sound defensive when they rationalize, as if arguing with an unseen critic.
He rationalized his late arrival by blaming the traffic, though he had actually overslept.
Pro Tip 1/2Self-justification
Used when someone tries to justify a decision or action that others might question or doubt.
After eating the whole cake, Laura tried to rationalize it as a reward for her hard work.
Pro Tip 2/2Defensive Speech
People may sound defensive when they rationalize, as if arguing with an unseen critic.
He rationalized his late arrival by blaming the traffic, though he had actually overslept.
Pro Tip 1/2Self-justification
Used when someone tries to justify a decision or action that others might question or doubt.
After eating the whole cake, Laura tried to rationalize it as a reward for her hard work.
Pro Tip 2/2Defensive Speech
People may sound defensive when they rationalize, as if arguing with an unseen critic.
He rationalized his late arrival by blaming the traffic, though he had actually overslept.
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Video examples
Seth Priebatsch:...
So with each dynamic, I'm going to give three one that shows how it's already being used in the real world, so you can rationalize it a bit; one that shows it in what we consider a conventional game -- I think everything is a game, but this is more what you'd think of as a game played on a board or on a computer screen; and one of how it can be used for good,
Video examples
What happens in your...
Gateways that will help us remove the barrier of the conscious mind to see through the biases of people and possibly even capture subconscious taste differences. And that's because we can now measure people's very first response to food before they've become conscious of it, and before they've started rationalizing why they like it or not.
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
You know, so we're like, if you gave a monkey a computer, that's our cortex. But we still have a lot of monkey instincts. Which we then try to rationalize as, no, it's not a monkey instinct. It’s something more important than that. But it's often just really a monkey instinct.
Video examples
The scientific origins...
and other monsters and gods were created by our early ancestors to rationalize the terrifying things that they saw in the natural world but did not understand. And while we can't explain every aspect of their stories, there may be some actual science that reveals itself
Video examples
Why should you read...
picking up on many of the same themes. In many ways, the novel follows a common narrative thread where a promising youth is seduced and corrupted by the dangers of urban life. But its social critique cuts far deeper. Raskolnikov rationalizes that his own advancement
Video examples
How to see past your own...
We agree -- or we should -- that there is an external reality and ignoring it can get you hurt. Nonetheless, skepticism about truth can be tempting, because it allows us to rationalize away our own biases. When we do that, we're sort of like the guy in the movie
Video examples
How we take back the...
Yeah. The bottom line is that terrorism has always been what we in the intelligence world would call a cover for action. Terrorism is something that provokes an emotional response that allows people to rationalize authorizing powers and programs
Video examples
Screams of the Falling PIPE...
has a comfortable chair well good beautiful day it's a controlled environment this has happened so many times before there's nothing to be afraid of right so yeah he's trying to rationalize yeah please say you're not
Video examples
Shaka Senghor: Why your...
I didn't want to take responsibility. I blamed everybody from my parents to the system. I rationalized my decision to shoot because in the hood where I come from, it's better to be the shooter
Video examples
Fighting injustice with...
done we rationalize the unspeakable forgetting that foundations that might seem unshakably strong today could easily crumble why we sleep that our comfort is fragile the dis concerns us
Video examples
Seth Priebatsch:...
So with each dynamic, I'm going to give three one that shows how it's already being used in the real world, so you can rationalize it a bit; one that shows it in what we consider a conventional game -- I think everything is a game, but this is more what you'd think of as a game played on a board or on a computer screen; and one of how it can be used for good,
Video examples
What happens in your...
Gateways that will help us remove the barrier of the conscious mind to see through the biases of people and possibly even capture subconscious taste differences. And that's because we can now measure people's very first response to food before they've become conscious of it, and before they've started rationalizing why they like it or not.
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
You know, so we're like, if you gave a monkey a computer, that's our cortex. But we still have a lot of monkey instincts. Which we then try to rationalize as, no, it's not a monkey instinct. It’s something more important than that. But it's often just really a monkey instinct.
Video examples
The scientific origins...
and other monsters and gods were created by our early ancestors to rationalize the terrifying things that they saw in the natural world but did not understand. And while we can't explain every aspect of their stories, there may be some actual science that reveals itself
Video examples
Why should you read...
picking up on many of the same themes. In many ways, the novel follows a common narrative thread where a promising youth is seduced and corrupted by the dangers of urban life. But its social critique cuts far deeper. Raskolnikov rationalizes that his own advancement
Video examples
How to see past your own...
We agree -- or we should -- that there is an external reality and ignoring it can get you hurt. Nonetheless, skepticism about truth can be tempting, because it allows us to rationalize away our own biases. When we do that, we're sort of like the guy in the movie
Video examples
How we take back the...
Yeah. The bottom line is that terrorism has always been what we in the intelligence world would call a cover for action. Terrorism is something that provokes an emotional response that allows people to rationalize authorizing powers and programs
Video examples
Screams of the Falling PIPE...
has a comfortable chair well good beautiful day it's a controlled environment this has happened so many times before there's nothing to be afraid of right so yeah he's trying to rationalize yeah please say you're not
Video examples
Shaka Senghor: Why your...
I didn't want to take responsibility. I blamed everybody from my parents to the system. I rationalized my decision to shoot because in the hood where I come from, it's better to be the shooter
Video examples
Fighting injustice with...
done we rationalize the unspeakable forgetting that foundations that might seem unshakably strong today could easily crumble why we sleep that our comfort is fragile the dis concerns us
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
J. J. Watt
American Athlete
It's hard to understand the life that I live and rationalize some of the things that I do. I don't need someone questioning every move that I make, asking me why I don't just relax. When there's no one asking me those types of questions... to me, it's peaceful.
Quote examples
Paul S. Kemp
American Author
The human mind has infinite capacity to rationalize, and evil characters just push that boundary a bit. Whatever they're doing, they think it makes sense to do it, and they think they have a good reason to do it. In short, they feel justified.
Quote examples
Drew Barrymore
American Actress
Being a Barrymore didn't help me, other than giving me a great sense of pride and a strange spiritual sense that I felt OK about having the passion to act. It made sense because my whole family had done it and it helped rationalise it for me.
Quote examples
J. D. Vance
American Author
I needed a lot of the good things that church provided. But as I grew older, it became increasingly hard for me to rationalize the importance of church in my life with the beliefs that it required that were at odds with modern science.
Quote examples
Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Actress
The truth is if you can eat just a serving size, you can eat anything. But we all know how those harmless treats can call out your name all night long, and rationalizing in the middle of the night is very easy.
Quote examples
Brian Grazer
American Producer
You have to trust yourself, not research. Not testing. Testing helps, but you have to trust your own taste. If your taste says something isn't any good, don't let research rationalize that out of its own truth.
Quote examples
Sofia Boutella
Algerian Actress
As cognitive beings, we rationalise everything. So, I think that's why nemeses are, in general, fascinating to observe, because they decide to act on feelings that we, most of the time, rationalise.
Quote examples
Charles Colson
American Lawyer
I learned one thing in Watergate: I was well-intentioned but rationalized illegal behavior. You cannot live your life other than walking in the truth. Your means are as important as your ends.
Quote examples
Ezra Taft Benson
American Leader
The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change.
Quote examples
Melissa Benoist
American Actress
A part of my job, when I'm playing a character and approaching a role, is to rationalize and to not judge whatsoever.
Quote examples
J. J. Watt
American Athlete
It's hard to understand the life that I live and rationalize some of the things that I do. I don't need someone questioning every move that I make, asking me why I don't just relax. When there's no one asking me those types of questions... to me, it's peaceful.
Quote examples
Paul S. Kemp
American Author
The human mind has infinite capacity to rationalize, and evil characters just push that boundary a bit. Whatever they're doing, they think it makes sense to do it, and they think they have a good reason to do it. In short, they feel justified.
Quote examples
Drew Barrymore
American Actress
Being a Barrymore didn't help me, other than giving me a great sense of pride and a strange spiritual sense that I felt OK about having the passion to act. It made sense because my whole family had done it and it helped rationalise it for me.
Quote examples
J. D. Vance
American Author
I needed a lot of the good things that church provided. But as I grew older, it became increasingly hard for me to rationalize the importance of church in my life with the beliefs that it required that were at odds with modern science.
Quote examples
Marissa Jaret Winokur
American Actress
The truth is if you can eat just a serving size, you can eat anything. But we all know how those harmless treats can call out your name all night long, and rationalizing in the middle of the night is very easy.
Quote examples
Brian Grazer
American Producer
You have to trust yourself, not research. Not testing. Testing helps, but you have to trust your own taste. If your taste says something isn't any good, don't let research rationalize that out of its own truth.
Quote examples
Sofia Boutella
Algerian Actress
As cognitive beings, we rationalise everything. So, I think that's why nemeses are, in general, fascinating to observe, because they decide to act on feelings that we, most of the time, rationalise.
Quote examples
Charles Colson
American Lawyer
I learned one thing in Watergate: I was well-intentioned but rationalized illegal behavior. You cannot live your life other than walking in the truth. Your means are as important as your ends.
Quote examples
Ezra Taft Benson
American Leader
The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change.
Quote examples
Melissa Benoist
American Actress
A part of my job, when I'm playing a character and approaching a role, is to rationalize and to not judge whatsoever.
Example 1 of 10
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