| Main Entry: | rationalize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make excuse; justify |
Synonyms: |
account for, apply logic, cop a plea, cop out, deliberate, elucidate, excise, excuse, explain away, extenuate, give alibi, intellectualize, justify, make allowance, reason, reason out, reconcile, resolve, think, think through, vindicate |
| Main Entry: | centralize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | concentrate, draw toward a point |
Synonyms: |
accumulate, amalgamate, assemble, compact, concenter, condense, consolidate, converge, focus, gather, incorporate, integrate, organize, rationalize, streamline, systematize, unify |
Antonyms: |
decentralize, disperse, scatter |
| Main Entry: | cop out |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon, quit |
Synonyms: |
back down, back off, back out, backpedal, desert, dodge, excuse, give the slip, have alibi, rationalize, renege, renounce, revoke, skip, use pretext, welsh, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
be ready, face, ready, take on |
| Main Entry: | defend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | show support for |
Synonyms: |
advocate, aid, apologize for, argue, assert, back, back up, bear one out, befriend, champion, come to defense of, cover for, endorse, espouse, exculpate, exonerate, explain, go to bat for, guarantee, justify, maintain, plead, prove a case, put in a good word, rationalize, recommend, ride shotgun for, say in defense, second, speak up for, stand by, stand up for, stick up for, stonewall, support, sustain, thump for, uphold, vindicate, warrant |
Antonyms: |
deny, forsake, renounce |
| Main Entry: | exculpate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive |
Synonyms: |
absolve, acquit, amnesty, clear, condone, discharge, disculpate, dismiss, excuse, exonerate, explain, free, justify, let off, pardon, rationalize, release, remit, vindicate, wipe slate clean |
| Notes: | to exculpate is 'to free from accusation or blame' while exonerate is literally 'to free from a burden' |
Antonyms: |
blame, condemn, sentence |
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive, absolve; justify |
Synonyms: |
acquit, alibi, apologize for, appease, bear with, clear, condone, cover, defend, discharge, dispense from, exculpate, exempt, exempt from, exonerate, explain, extenuate, forgive, free, give absolution, grant amnesty, indulge, let go, let off, liberate, make allowances for, mitigate, overlook, pardon, pass over, plead ignorance, pretext, purge, rationalize, release, relieve, remit, reprieve, shrive, shrug off, spare, take rap for, tolerate, vindicate, whitewash, wink at |
| Main Entry: | explain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make clear; give a reason for |
Synonyms: |
account for, analyze, annotate, break down, bring out, clarify, clear up, construe, decipher, define, demonstrate, describe, diagram, disclose, elucidate, excuse, explicate, expound, get across, go into detail, illustrate, interpret, justify, make plain, manifest, paraphrase, point out, put across, put in plain English, rationalize, read, refine, render, resolve, reveal, set right, solve, spell out, teach, tell, throw light upon, translate, unfold, unravel, untangle |
Antonyms: |
be vague, complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex |
| Main Entry: | gloss |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | conceal truth |
Synonyms: |
belie, camouflage, cover up, deacon, disguise, doctor, explain, extenuate, falsify, hide, justify, mask, misrepresent, palliate, rationalize, smooth over, soft-pedal, sugarcoat, varnish, veil, veneer, white, whiten, whitewash |
Antonyms: |
clear up, explain, reveal |
| Main Entry: | justify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | legitimize, substantiate |
Synonyms: |
absolve, acquit, advocate, alibi, answer for, apologize for, approve, argue for, assert, be answerable for, bear out, brief, claim, clear, condone, confirm, contend, cop a plea, countenance, crawl, defend, do justice to, establish, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, explain, favor, legalize, maintain, make allowances, make good, palliate, pardon, plead, rationalize, rebut, show cause, speak in favor, square, stand up for, support, sustain, uphold, validate, verify, vindicate, warrant |
| Main Entry: | reason |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | mentally analyze |
Synonyms: |
adduce, cerebrate, cogitate, conclude, contemplate, decide, deduce, deduct, deliberate, draw conclusion, draw from, examine, figure out, gather, generalize, infer, make out, philosophize, ratiocinate, rationalize, reflect, resolve, solve, speculate, study, suppose, syllogize, think, think through, thresh out, work out |