rationalize

To explain rationally.

To explain or justify (one’s behavior) with incorrect reasons or excuses, often without conscious awareness.

To dismiss or minimize the significance of (something) by means of an explanation or excuse.

To make (a business or process, for example) more efficient, as by reducing costs or introducing modern methods.

To terminate the employment of (workers) in an effort to improve efficiency.

To remove radicals, such as from a denominator, without changing the value of (an expression) or roots of (an equation).

To think in a rational or rationalistic way.

To rationalize one’s behavior.