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Noun: rationalization  ,ra-shu-nu-lu'zey-shun [N. Amer], ,ra-shu-nu-lI'zey-shun [Brit]
  1. The cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason
    - rationalisation [Brit]
     
  2. (psychiatry) a defence mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening
    - rationalisation [Brit]
     
  3. (mathematics) the simplification of an expression or equation by eliminating radicals without changing the value of the expression or the roots of the equation
    - rationalisation [Brit]
     
  4. The organization of a business according to scientific principles of management in order to increase efficiency
    - rationalisation [Brit]
     
  5. Systematic organization; the act of organizing something according to a system or a rationale
    - systematization, systematisation [Brit], rationalisation [Brit]

Derived forms: rationalizations

Type of: defence [Brit, Cdn], defence mechanism [Brit, Cdn], defence reaction [Brit, Cdn], defense [US], defense mechanism [US], defense reaction [US], explanation, organisation [Brit], organization, simplification

Encyclopedia: Rationalization