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rationalize

[rash-uh-nl-ahyz, rash-nl-ahyz] / ˈræʃ ə nlˌaɪz, ˈræʃ nlˌaɪz /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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His campaign to combine companies and rationalize industries culminated in U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

“In all of the history of money bail there has never been an attempt to rationalize the money amounts. The money amounts of the bonds are literally picked out of the air.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

"Our findings allowed us to rationalize the critical role of engineering the hydrogen-bond network at the catalyst/electrolyte interface in designing high-efficiency, low-cost AEMWEs," Wu said.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

“The salt association was thus a classic example of an effort by producers to rationalize the methods of production, and, more important, marketing,” Page Smith writes External link in The Rise of Industrial America.

From Barron's ● May 2, 2026

Rather it seems that an aspect of human nature is the tendency to cling tightly to one’s advantages and privileges and to rationalize the suffering and exclusion of others.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Kane, who declined to disclose his average earnings, rationalizes that big losses are just part of the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

“To sing with the gods, you sometimes need a ladder,” Houston rationalizes in the movie.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2022

Francis just barely refrains from calling her crazy, though he refers to her experiences as “a fantasy” and capably rationalizes this stranger’s behavior.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022

Irene compartmentalizes and rationalizes her act; she needs to cool down, the tearoom is a breezy refuge, if one she intentionally seeks out rather than merely happens upon.

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2021

It annoys my father no end, but he rationalizes it by saying, “We live in a service economy. We all have to feed it somehow.”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Analysts said BP is building a rationalized upstream pipeline capable of supporting volume growth on the order of about 3% per year between 2030 and 2035.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Unilateral action can be rationalized as acting because it is too cumbersome to mobilize allies whose interests do not align with one’s own.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

On a call with analysts, CFO Sherry House says the carmaker in December rationalized the role of pure EVs in its near-term product portfolio based on “changing market realities in the U.S.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

“As flows started to reverse and markets rationalized, those spectacular numbers fell into more modest territory. Then the 2022 bear market hit,” Bespoke added, noting that many investors were now stuck with “deeply underwater positions.”

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

Lawrence remained defensive about the oversight as late as 1940, when he rationalized it as the consequence of the Rad Lab’s singular devotion to improving the cyclotron at the expense of unimportant short-term discoveries.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

“We’ve probably done more rationalizing the supply chain, for example shutting down plants rather than investing in creating a new manufacturing footprint,” McNamara said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

The agency describes the move as "a step forward in rationalizing its use and promoting its safe and responsible use."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

I'm a lot better now at rationalizing facts and reminding myself of what those things are, and that helps me not get ahead of myself and have a super emotional reaction to a thing.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2025

In rationalizing the closing of his shop, Tolliver reminded me he’d scaled back to working part time and was only cutting the hair of a core group of customers and friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

Its spirit was rationalizing, and had the qualities which go with rationalism.

From An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Cardinal Newman




Vocabulary lists containing rationalize


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