intellectualize

Verb

intellectualize (third-person singular simple present intellectualizes, present participle intellectualizing, simple past and past participle intellectualized)

1. (transitive) To treat in an intellectual manner; to discuss or express intellectually.
   • Sentiment is intellectualized emotion.1867, James Russell Lowell, Rousseau and the Sentimentalists
2. (transitive) To endow with intellect; to bestow intellectual qualities upon; to cause to become intellectual.
3. (US, transitive) To find a seemingly rational explanation for.
   1. (US, transitive) To use (excessive) reasoning and rationalization to block out emotional stress and anxiety associated with painful or traumatic experiences.