1. (

• rationalization ,
• rationalisation

) (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening ;

2. (

• rationalization ,
• rationalisation

) the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason ;

3. (

• rationalization ,
• rationalisation ,

) (mathematics) the simplification of an expression or equation by eliminating radicals without changing the value of the expression or the roots of the equation ;

4. (

• rationalization ,
• rationalisation ,

) the organization of a business according to scientific principles of management in order to increase efficiency ;

5. (

• systematization ,
• systematisation ,
• rationalization ,
• rationalisation

) systematic organization; the act of organizing something according to a system or a rationale ;