practical reason

American  

noun

1. (in Kantian ethics) reason applied to the problem of action and choice, especially in ethical matters.

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practical reason British  

noun

1. the faculty by which human beings determine how to act

2. reasoning concerning the relative merits of actions

3. the principles governing arguments which issue in actions or intentions to act

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Etymology

Origin of practical reason

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

practical reason

Many real-life animals known as hematophages that sustain themselves on blood for a more practical reason — survival.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2024

Natalie Portman just shared her very practical reason for steering away from Method acting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2024

There is a practical reason for that, with TV companies wanting to show every ball of every match, meaning having more than one game per day is unattractive.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023

The king had a practical reason for his obsessions: Following the plague that killed tens of millions of people in the Middle Ages in Europe, people feared that hot water could spread infection.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

And I could think of no rational or practical reason why my father should try to find out who his father’s father was.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright