rationalize
RASH-un-ul-ize
/ˈræʃ.ən.əl.aɪz/
To attempt to explain or justify behavior or attitudes with logical reasons, even if these are not true or appropriate.
Rationalizing involves self-deception: inventing self-serving, plausible motives to cover up actual underlying emotional reasons.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'ratio' (reason). British psychoanalyst Ernest Jones introduced the term into psychoanalysis in 1908 to describe how patients invent self-justifying logical reasons for behaviors actually driven by unconscious motives.
Word relationships
- justify: Justify attempts to prove an action was right, while rationalize invents excuses to cover discomfort.
- vindicate: Vindicate means proving someone clear of blame through facts or outcomes.
- confess: Confess means admitting true faults directly without making excuses.
- acknowledge: Acknowledge means accepting facts as they are without distortion.
Commonly confused with
- reason: Reasoning uses logic to find the truth; rationalizing uses fake logic after the fact to protect the ego.
Word family
- rationalization (noun): The action of attempting to justify behavior with plausible excuses.
- rational (adjective): Based on or in accordance with reason or logic.
Collocations
- rationalize behavior
- rationalize failure
- rationalize spending
- try to rationalize
Idioms & expressions
- making excuses
- sour grapes
Example sentences
- "He tried to rationalize his impulsive purchase by convincing himself it was an essential investment." Personal decisions context
- "It is easy to rationalize bending the rules when everyone else seems to be doing it." Ethical discussion context
Memory hook
RATIONALIZE = making RATIONAL-sounding LIES to comfort yourself. Plausible lies for self-defense.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'make rational' in mathematical or logistical contexts unless specifying process optimization.
Fun facts
- Aesop's fable 'The Fox and the Grapes' gave rise to the term 'sour grapes', which is history's most famous example of rationalization.
Related words
Explore more words
rationalization, rationale, justification, pretext, equivocate, Rationality
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