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
-
being in or characterized by full possession of one's reason; sane; lucid.
The patient appeared perfectly rational.
- Antonyms:
- insane
-
endowed with the faculty of reason.
rational beings.
-
of, relating to, or constituting reasoning powers.
the rational faculty.
-
proceeding or derived from reason or based on reasoning.
a rational explanation.
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Mathematics.
-
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.
"We reinforce the importance of the rational use of these drugs and even of assessing the need for supplementation in some cases. However, medical supervision is necessary to evaluate each case individually," Nogueira says.
From Science Daily
When teams know that collaboration itself will be evaluated, the rational strategy is no longer to avoid the meeting.
Becker and Murphy’s 1988 theory of rational addiction shows that addicts respond far more to permanent price changes than to temporary ones.
They have fund economics, investor relationships, and hard-won reputations that make fighting for these assets the rational move.
From Barron's
"The markets are a rational mechanism," analyst Ives said of company shares being punished by AI worries.
From Barron's
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.
