rationalize

• Verbe utilisé pour décrire le fait de tenter d'expliquer ou de justifier son comportement ou un événement par des raisons logiques, souvent de manière peu sincère ou peu équitable. Peut aussi signifier rendre quelque chose plus efficace ou rationnel en éliminant le superflu.

A verb used to describe the act of attempting to explain or justify one's behavior or an event with logical reasons, often in a way that is not entirely true or fair.

1. Justify or explainB2formal

   To attempt to explain or justify behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate.

   rationaliser (justifier)

   • He tried to rationalize his rude behavior by blaming his stress.
   • She rationalized her decision to quit by saying the job was too demanding.
   • They rationalized the expense as a necessary investment.

   Synonymesaccount fordefendexcusejustifyvindicatewarrant

2. Streamline or reorganizeB2formalbusiness

   To make a system, organization, or process more efficient by removing unnecessary elements.

   rationaliser

   • The company decided to rationalize its production line to cut costs.
   • They rationalized the department by merging several teams.
   • The government plans to rationalize the healthcare system.

   Synonymesconsolidatedownsizemodernizeoptimizerestructuresimplifystreamlinetrim

   Antonymescomplicatedisorganizedisruptimpairworsen

3. Apply logic or reasonC1formal

   To think in a logical and sensible way.

   raisonner logiquement

   • In a crisis, it's important to rationalize rather than panic.
   • He tried to rationalize the problem step by step.
   • She rationalized the complex data into a clear summary.

   Synonymesanalyzededucedeliberateevaluatereasonthink

4. Remove irrational numbersC2formalscientific

   In mathematics, to eliminate irrational quantities from an expression or equation.

   Rationaliser (en mathématiques)

   • The student learned how to rationalize the denominator of a fraction.
   • To simplify the equation, you need to rationalize the square root term.
   • Rationalizing the expression made it easier to solve.