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Rationalization: meaning, definitions and examples

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rationalization

 

[ ˌræʃ(ə)n(ə)lʌɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n ]

Noun / Verb
Context #1 | Noun

psychology

The process of constructing a logical justification for irrational behavior, beliefs, or decisions.

Synonyms

defense, excuse, justification

Examples of usage

  • He used rationalization to convince himself that his actions were justified.
  • She engaged in rationalization to avoid facing the truth.
Context #2 | Noun

business

The action of reorganizing a company or system in a more logical or efficient way.

Synonyms

optimization, reorganization, streamlining

Examples of usage

  • The rationalization of the company's operations led to increased productivity.
  • They are planning a rationalization of the supply chain to reduce costs.
Context #3 | Verb

engineering

The process of making a system or design more logical or efficient.

Synonyms

improve, optimize, simplify

Examples of usage

  • They rationalized the production process to improve efficiency.
  • The team worked to rationalize the design of the new product.

Translations

Translations of the word "rationalization" in other languages:

🇵🇹 racionalização

🇮🇳 तर्कसंगतिकरण

🇩🇪 Rationalisierung

🇮🇩 rasionalisasi

🇺🇦 раціоналізація

🇵🇱 racjonalizacja

🇯🇵 合理化 (ごうりか)

🇫🇷 rationalisation

🇪🇸 racionalización

🇹🇷 rasyonalizasyon

🇰🇷 합리화 (합리화)

🇸🇦 ترشيد

🇨🇿 racionalizace

🇸🇰 racionalizácia

🇨🇳 合理化 (hélǐ huà)

🇸🇮 racionalizacija

🇮🇸 rökvæðing

🇰🇿 ұтымдылық

🇬🇪 რაციონალიზაცია

🇦🇿 rasionalizasiya

🇲🇽 racionalización

Etymology

The word 'rationalization' originated from the Latin word 'rationalis' meaning 'endowed with reason'. It first appeared in the English language in the early 19th century. The psychological meaning of rationalization was popularized by Sigmund Freud, who explored the concept in his work on defense mechanisms. The business and engineering contexts of rationalization emerged later, reflecting the idea of making processes more logical and efficient.

See also: irrational, rationalist, rationalize.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #15,742, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.