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rationalization
| Main Entry: |
rationalization
|
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | account |
| Synonyms: | ABCs, annal, blow by blow, bulletin, chronicle, detail, explanation, history, justification, lowdown, make*, narration, narrative, play by play, rationale, reason, recital, report, run-down, score, story, tab, take*, tale, the picture, the whole picture, version |
| Notes: | a rationale is given for a future course of action, whereas a rationalization is offered for a past action |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | defense |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | explanation, justification |
| Synonyms: | answer, apologetics, apologia, apologizing, apology, argument, cleanup, copout, exculpation, excuse, excusing, exoneration, explaining, extenuation, fish story, jive, off-time, plea, rationalization, rejoinder, reply, response, retort, return, song and dance, story, vindication, whitewash |
| Antonyms: | betrayal, capitulation, yielding |
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, explanation |
| Synonyms: | alibi, apology, cleanup, cop-out, cover story, cover*, coverup, defense, disguise, evasion, expedient, extenuation, fish story, grounds, jive, justification, makeshift, mitigation, plea, pretext, rationalization, regrets, routine, semblance, shift, song and dance, song*, stall, stopgap, story, substitute, subterfuge, trick*, vindication, whitewash, why and wherefore |
| Notes: | an alias is an assumed name, an alibi is a form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed, while an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness a pardon is the act of excusing a mistake or offense; an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | induction |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | inference |
| Synonyms: | conclusion, conjecture, deducement, generalization, judgment, logical reasoning, ratiocination, rationalization, reason |
| Main Entry: | justification |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, excuse |
| Synonyms: | absolution, account, acquittal, advocacy, answer, apologia, apology, approval, argument, basis, confirmation, defense, exculpation, exoneration, explanation, extenuation, grounds, idea, mitigation, palliation, palliative, plea, pretext, raison d'être, rationale, rationalization, rebuttal, redemption, reply, response, salvation, sanctification, song and dance, story, support, validation, vindication, warrant, whatfor, wherefore, whitewashing, whole idea, why and wherefore |
| Main Entry: | plea |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | excuse, defense |
| Synonyms: | action, alibi, allegation, apology, argument, cause, claim, cop-out, explanation, extenuation, fish tale, justification, mitigation, out, palliation, pleading, pretext, rationalization, right, song and dance, story, vindication, whitewash |
| Antonyms: | decision, sentence |
| Main Entry: | rationale |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | logic for belief, action |
| Synonyms: | account, excuse, explanation, exposition, grounds, hypothesis, justification, motivation, motive, philosophy, principle, raison d'être, rationalization, reason, reasons, song and dance, sour grapes, story*, the big idea, the whole idea, theory, whatfor, why and wherefore, whyfor |
| Notes: | a rationale is given for a future course of action, whereas a rationalization is offered for a past action |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | reason |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | mental analysis |
| Synonyms: | acumen, apprehension, argumentation, bounds, brain*, brains, comprehension, deduction, dialectics, discernment, generalization, induction, inference, intellect, intellection, judgment, limits, logic, lucidity, marbles, mentality, mind, moderation, propriety, ratiocination, rationalism, rationality, rationalization, reasonableness, reasoning, saneness, sanity, sense, senses, sensibleness, sound mind, soundness, speculation, understanding, wisdom, wit |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | reason |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | explanation for an action |
| Synonyms: | account, apologia, apology, argument, case, cover, defense, excuse, exposition, ground, idea, justification, notion, proof, rationale, rationalization, song and dance, sour grapes, the whole idea, vindication, whatfor, wherefore, why and wherefore, why*, whyfor |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
