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rationalizes - 14 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | rationalize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make excuse; justify |
| Synonyms: | account for, cop a plea, cop out*, deliberate, elucidate, excise, excuse, extenuate, justify, reason, reconcile, resolve, think, vindicate, apply logic, explain away, give alibi, intellectualize, make allowance, reason out, think through |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | centralize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | concentrate, draw toward a point |
| Synonyms: | accumulate, amalgamate, assemble, compact, condense, consolidate, converge, focus, gather, incorporate, integrate, organize, rationalize, systematize, unify, concenter, streamline |
| Antonyms: | disperse, scatter, decentralize |
| Main Entry: | cop out |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon, quit |
| Synonyms: | back down, back off, back out, desert, dodge, excuse, rationalize, renege, renounce, revoke, skip, welsh, withdraw, backpedal, give the slip, have alibi, use pretext |
| Antonyms: | face, ready, take on, be ready |
| Main Entry: | defend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | show support for |
| Synonyms: | advocate, aid, argue, assert, back, back up, befriend, champion, endorse, espouse, exculpate, exonerate, explain, go to bat for*, guarantee, justify, maintain, plead, rationalize, recommend, second, stonewall*, support, sustain, uphold, vindicate, warrant, apologize for, bear one out, come to defense of, cover for, prove a case, put in a good word, ride shotgun for, say in defense, speak up for, stand by, stand up for, stick up for, thump for |
| Antonyms: | deny, forsake, renounce |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | exculpate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, amnesty, clear, condone, discharge, dismiss, excuse, exonerate, explain, free, justify, let off*, pardon, rationalize, release, remit, vindicate, disculpate, 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 |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive, absolve; justify |
| Synonyms: | acquit, alibi, appease, bear with, clear, condone, cover, defend, discharge, exculpate, exempt, exonerate, explain, extenuate, forgive, free, indulge, let off*, liberate, mitigate, overlook, pardon, pass over*, pretext, purge, rationalize, release, relieve, remit, reprieve, shrive, shrug off, spare, tolerate, vindicate, whitewash*, apologize for, dispense from, exempt from, give absolution, grant amnesty, let go, make allowances for, plead ignorance, take rap for, wink at* |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | explain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make clear; give a reason for |
| Synonyms: | account for, analyze, annotate, bring out, clarify, clear up, construe, decipher, define, demonstrate, describe, diagram, disclose, elucidate, excuse, explicate, expound, get across*, illustrate, interpret, justify, manifest, paraphrase, point out, rationalize, read, refine, render, resolve, reveal, solve, spell out*, teach, tell, translate, unfold, unravel, untangle, break down, go into detail, make plain, put across, put in plain English, set right, throw light upon |
| Antonyms: | complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex, be vague |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | gloss |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | conceal truth |
| Synonyms: | belie, camouflage, deacon, disguise, doctor, explain, extenuate, falsify, hide, justify, mask, misrepresent, palliate, rationalize, soft-pedal, sugarcoat*, varnish, veil, veneer, white, whiten, whitewash*, cover up, smooth over |
| Antonyms: | clear up, explain, reveal |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | justify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | legitimize, substantiate |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, advocate, alibi*, answer for, approve, assert, bear out, brief, claim, clear, condone, confirm, contend, cop a plea, countenance, crawl, defend, establish, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, explain, favor, legalize, maintain, palliate, pardon, plead, rationalize, rebut, square, support, sustain, uphold, validate, verify, vindicate, warrant, apologize for, argue for, be answerable for, do justice to, make allowances, make good, show cause, speak in favor, stand up for |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | reason |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | mentally analyze |
| Synonyms: | adduce, cogitate, conclude, contemplate, decide, deduce, deduct, deliberate, examine, gather, generalize, infer, make out, philosophize, rationalize, reflect, resolve, solve, speculate, study, suppose, think, work out, cerebrate, draw conclusion, draw from, figure out, ratiocinate, syllogize, think through, thresh out |
| Main Entry: | systematize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put in order |
| Synonyms: | arrange, array, contrive, design, devise, dispose, establish, frame, institute, marshal, order, organize, plan, project, rationalize, regulate, standardize, get act together, make uniform, methodize, pull together, schematize, shape up, straighten up, systemize, tighten up |
| Antonyms: | confuse, disorder, disorganize, mix up |
| Main Entry: | think |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | contemplate |
| Synonyms: | analyze, appraise, appreciate, brood, cerebrate, cogitate, comprehend, conceive, consider, deduce, deliberate, estimate, evaluate, examine, figure out, have in mind, ideate, imagine, infer, intellectualize, judge, logicalize, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, rack one's brains, rationalize, reason, reflect, resolve, revolve, ruminate, sort out, speculate, stew*, stop to consider, study, take under consideration, turn over, use one's head, weigh |
| Antonyms: | forget, ignore, neglect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | urge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | beg, push for, encourage |
| Synonyms: | adjure, advance, advise, advocate, ask, attract, beseech, champion, charge, commend, compel, conjure, counsel, countenance, drive, egg on*, endorse, entreat, exhort, favor, force, further, goad, hasten, impel, implore, incite, induce, influence, inspire, instigate, maneuver, move, plead, press, promote, prompt, propel, propose, push, rationalize, recommend, request, sanction, solicit, spur, stimulate, support, tempt, wheedle, appeal to, fire up, insist on, put up to, speak for |
| Antonyms: | discourage, dissuade |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | vindicate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | prove one's innocence |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, advocate, argue, assert, bear out, claim, clear, confute, contend, corroborate, defend, disprove, establish, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, extenuate, free, guard, justify, maintain, protect, prove, rationalize, refute, rehabilitate, second, shield, substantiate, support, uphold, warrant, whitewash*, disculpate, do justice to, free from blame, plead for |
| Antonyms: | accuse, blame, convict, punish, sentence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
