rationalization, rationalisation -- (the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason)
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)
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)
rationalization, rationalisation -- (the organization of a business according to scientific principles of management in order to increase efficiency)