rationalize in WordNet English dictionary

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