illogical
Americanadjective
adjective
-
characterized by lack of logic; senseless or unreasonable
-
disregarding logical principles
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illogical
Explanation
When there's no good reason or explanation for something, don't fret; chances are it's illogical — meaning that it has no rational explanation behind it. The word logic has origins in the Greek root logos meaning "reason, idea, or word." But slap the prefix il- in front of it, and suddenly the word reverses its meaning. Illogical? Check out other words with the same prefix, like illegitimate and illegal, and you'll quickly see that the prefixil- in front of a word starting in "l" means "not." Suddenly the meaning of illogical isn't quite so illogical after all, is it?
Vocabulary lists containing illogical
Inside Out & Back Again
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Illogical rules and procedures also tend to persist because some powerful interests benefit from them.
From Washington Post • Jan. 31, 2023
As Eugenia Cheng puts it in The Art of Logic in an Illogical World, “a powerful aspect of abstraction is that many different situations become the same when you forget some details.”
From Scientific American • Sep. 14, 2021
His club anthems include Illogical, Larynx and Kreatine.
From BBC • May 6, 2019
Illogical notions of turf protection frequently stand like barriers in the pathway of good Region government policies.
From Washington Times • Apr. 18, 2017
"Illogical, but sensible," pronounced the professor, leading an eager rush for the water canteens, which were carried on the pack burros.
From The Border Boys Across the Frontier by Goldfrap, John Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
