Dictionary Check: rationalization

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

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

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

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

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