rationalize (
http://definr.com/rationalize)
v 1: defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by
reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy
behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" [syn:
apologize,
apologise,
excuse,
justify,
rationalise]
2: weed out unwanted or unnecessary things; "We had to lose
weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet" [syn:
cut,
prune,
rationalise]
3: structure and run according to rational or scientific
principles in order to achieve desired results; "We
rationalized the factory's production and raised profits"
4: think rationally; employ reason; "When one wonders why one
is doing certain things, one should rationalize"
5: remove irrational qualities from, as in math; "This function
can be rationalized" [syn:
rationalise]