ra ‧ tion ‧ al ‧ ize AC BrE AmE ( also rationalise British English ) /ˈræʃ ə nəlaɪz/ verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ rationality ≠ ↑ irrationality , ↑ rationale , ↑ rationalism , ↑ rationalist , ↑ rationalization ; adjective : ↑ rational ≠ ↑ irrational , ↑ rationalist ; verb : ↑ rationalize ; adverb : ↑ rationally ≠ ↑ irrationally ]
1 . if you rationalize behaviour that is wrong, you invent an explanation for it so that it does not seem as bad:
When he fouls up, Glen always finds a way to rationalize what he’s done.
2 . British English to make a business more effective by removing unnecessary workers, equipment etc:
Our systems will be rationalized over the coming months.
—rationalization /ˌræʃ ə nəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ -lə-/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
a major rationalization of the aircraft industry