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Synonyms

rational

American  
[rash-uh-nl, rash-nl] / ˈræʃ ə nl, ˈræʃ nl /

adjective

  1. agreeable to reason; reasonable; sensible.

    a rational plan for economic development.

  2. having or exercising reason, sound judgment, or good sense.

    a calm and rational negotiator.

    Synonyms:
    sagacious, judicious, wise, intelligent
    Antonyms:
    stupid
  3. being in or characterized by full possession of one's reason; sane; lucid.

    The patient appeared perfectly rational.

    Antonyms:
    insane
  4. endowed with the faculty of reason.

    rational beings.

  5. of, relating to, or constituting reasoning powers.

    the rational faculty.

  6. proceeding or derived from reason or based on reasoning.

    a rational explanation.

  7. Mathematics.

    1. capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two integers.

    2. (of a function) capable of being expressed exactly by a ratio of two polynomials.

  8. Classical Prosody. capable of measurement in terms of the metrical unit or mora.


noun

  1. Mathematics. rational number.

rational British  
/ ˈræʃənəl /

adjective

  1. using reason or logic in thinking out a problem

  2. in accordance with the principles of logic or reason; reasonable

  3. of sound mind; sane

    the patient seemed quite rational

  4. endowed with the capacity to reason; capable of logical thought

    man is a rational being

  5. maths expressible as a ratio of two integers or polynomials

    a rational number; a rational function

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. maths a rational number

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Explanation

Use the adjective rational to describe people or ideas that operate according to logic or reason. While your brother has an artistic temperament, you have a rational one. Rational comes from the Latin word rationalis, meaning reasonable or logical. If you're rational, you do things based on logic, as opposed to impulse or whimsy. The original meaning in English was of something endowed with the ability to reason. Before we knew how smart some animals like dolphins are, writers liked to distinguish rational human minds from the supposedly irrational, instinctual minds of animals.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing rational

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.

Buffett bought several airline stocks when the business became more rational, but Covid-19 convinced him the industry wasn’t worth the headache.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Nations that believe they can outcompete anyone, anywhere embrace open markets as a matter of rational self-interest.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

That may be rational behavior at the household level.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

His most influential work, The Theory of Communicative Action, published in 1981, argued that human societies were sustained not by political or economic power but by the capacity for rational dialogue.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

“We need to think this through and talk it through with more rational minds. At least, I’d like to.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon