rational
Americanadjective
-
agreeable to reason; reasonable; sensible.
a rational plan for economic development.
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having or exercising reason, sound judgment, or good sense.
a calm and rational negotiator.
- Synonyms:
- sagacious, judicious, wise, intelligent
- Antonyms:
- stupid
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being in or characterized by full possession of one's reason; sane; lucid.
The patient appeared perfectly rational.
- Antonyms:
- insane
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endowed with the faculty of reason.
rational beings.
-
of, relating to, or constituting reasoning powers.
the rational faculty.
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proceeding or derived from reason or based on reasoning.
a rational explanation.
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Mathematics.
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capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two integers.
-
(of a function) capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two polynomials.
-
-
Classical Prosody. capable of measurement in terms of the metrical unit or mora.
noun
adjective
-
using reason or logic in thinking out a problem
-
in accordance with the principles of logic or reason; reasonable
-
of sound mind; sane
the patient seemed quite rational
-
endowed with the capacity to reason; capable of logical thought
man is a rational being
-
maths expressible as a ratio of two integers or polynomials
a rational number; a rational function
noun
Related Words
See reasonable.
Other Word Forms
- antirational adjective
- hyperrational adjective
- nonrational adjective
- overrational adjective
- prerational adjective
- quasi-rational adjective
- rationally adverb
- rationalness noun
- transrational adjective
- ultrarational adjective
- unrational adjective
Etymology
Origin of rational
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English racional, from Latin ratiōnālis, equivalent to ratiōn- (stem of ratiō ) reason + -ālis -al 1
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.
From a purely rational perspective, this is bad politics.
From Salon
The public’s declining faith in higher education is rational.
For manufacturers, having stable evidence-based recommendations is the foundation of rational capital allocation.
From MarketWatch
“Today, national projects, including Syria, are more viable, more rational, more wise,” Davutoğlu said.
They also sell because of rational fear: The fear that it could fall further, and not recover in time.
From MarketWatch
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.
