Definition of "rationalization" in English

noun

1. (now rare) The process or result of rationalizing, or expressing in rational terms.

   • Some rationalization of the language of his lectures is, of course, necessary.

2. A statement of one's motives, or of the causes of some event.

   • Her self-flagellating rationalization for the theft was mostly ignored by the jury.

3. (economics) The reorganization of a company or organization in order to improve its efficiency through the reallocation of resources and changes in its workforce.

   • It began with the familiar political motives of civil service rationalization and downsizing.

4. (psychiatry) The concealment of true motivation in some non-threatening way.

5. (mathematics) The simplification of an expression without changing its value.

   • Here, the rationalization of the denominator was unnecessary.