/ˈræʃnəlaɪz/
ra·tion·al·ize AW (BrE also ra·tion·al·ise)
BrE /ˈræʃnəlaɪz/
NAmE /ˈræʃnəlaɪz/
[T, I]
~ (sth)
to find or try to find a logical reason to explain why sb thinks, behaves, etc. in a way that is difficult to understand
an attempt to rationalize his violent behaviour
[T, I]
~ (sth)
(BrE)
to make changes to a business, system, etc. in order to make it more efficient, especially by spending less money
Twenty workers lost their jobs when the department was rationalized.
cutslash ◇ cut sth back ◇ scale sth back ◇ rationalize ◇ downsize
These words all mean to reduce the amount or size of sth, especially of an amount of money or a business.
cut to reduce sth, especially an amount of money that is demanded, spent, earned, etc. or the size of a business：
The President has promised to cut taxes significantly.
Buyers will bargain hard to cut the cost of the house they want.
His salary has been cut by ten per cent.
Could you cut your essay from 5 000 to 3 000 words?
slash [often passive] (rather informal) (often used in newspapers) to reduce sth by a large amount：
The workforce has been slashed by half.
cut sth back/cut back on sth to reduce sth, especially an amount of money or business：
We had to cut back production.
scale sth back (especially NAmE or business) to reduce sth, especially an amount of money or business：
The IMF has scaled back its growth forecasts for the next decade.
rationalize (BrE, business) to make changes to a business or system, in order to make it more efficient, especially by spending less money
downsize (business) to make a company or an organization smaller by reducing the number of jobs in it, in order to reduce costs NOTE Downsize is often used by people who want to avoid saying more obvious words like ‘dismiss’ or ‘make redundant’ because they sound too negative.
Patterns
to cut/slash/cut back on/scale back/rationalize spending/production
to cut/slash/cut back on jobs
to cut/slash/downsize the workforce
to cut/slash/rationalize the cost of sth
to cut/slash prices/taxes/the budget
to cut sth/slash sth/cut sth back drastically
▸
ra·tion·al·iza·tion AW, ra·tion·al·isa·tion
BrE /ˌræʃnəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/
NAmE /ˌræʃnələˈzeɪʃn/
[U, C]
No amount of rationalization could justify his actions.
a need for rationalization of the industry