Meaning & use
Rationalization
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The act of creating logical-sounding reasons to justify a behavior or belief, often one that is actually driven by other motives.
See it in a sentence
His excuse for skipping the meeting was just a rationalization.
The company's layoffs were framed as a rationalization of its workforce.
A note on using this word
In psychology, rationalization is a defense mechanism people use to make questionable actions seem reasonable, even to themselves.
Words with a similar meaning
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Another way to use it
2. noun
The process of reorganizing a business or system to make it more efficient.
The merger led to a rationalization of the two companies' overlapping departments.
Make it your own
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