unreason

[ uhn-ree-zuh n ]

/ ʌnˈri zən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unreason ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

inability or unwillingness to think or act rationally, reasonably, or sensibly; irrationality.

lack of reason or sanity; madness; confusion; disorder; chaos: a world torn by unreason.

verb (used with object)

to upset or disrupt the reason or sanity of: The devious plot soon unreasoned the general.

Nearby words

unreal, unrealistic, unreality, unrealizable, unrealized, unreason, unreasonable, unreasonable behaviour, unreasoning, unreckonable, unrecognizable

Origin of unreason

First recorded in 1250–1300, unreason is from the Middle English word un-reson. See un-¹, reason

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unreason

In The Embrace of Unreason, Frederick Brown weaves a warning for America from the story of the divided French.
‘The Embrace of Unreason’: How France Lost It All Between the Wars|Michael Korda|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is that phenomenon that Frederick Brown explores in his brilliant new book, The Embrace of Unreason: France, 1914-1940.
‘The Embrace of Unreason’: How France Lost It All Between the Wars|Michael Korda|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like the Furies, the Cheneys stand for unreason and emotionalism.
Cheney Blood Lust|Lee Siegel|October 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST
There were not only doubt and denial, but now there were also impatience and unreason.
Soul of a Bishop|H. G. Wells

The more he believes in his own reason, the more he yearns for some method of out-shouting the unreason of his neighbours.
God and Mr. Wells|William Archer
The unreason of our painting has the same cause as the unreason of our objects of use; and the cause is in us, not in the artist.
Essays on Art|A. Clutton-Brock
He felt as if he had been assaulting a beautiful alabaster wall of unreason.
The Portion of Labor|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
God torments himself with the devil, and the philosopher does it with unreason and the accidental.
The Ego and His Own|Max Stirner

British Dictionary definitions for unreason

unreason

/ (ʌnˈriːzən) /

noun

irrationality or madness

something that lacks or is contrary to reason

lack of order; chaos

verb

(tr) to deprive of reason

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