unreason

[ uhn-ree-zuhn ]

/ ʌnˈri zən /

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See synonyms for: unreason / unreasoned / unreasoning 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.

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Origin of unreason

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

Words nearby unreason

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unreason in a sentence

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
Thus Athena replaces unreason with reason, and revenge with the spirit of clemency.
Cheney Blood Lust|Lee Siegel|October 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Now, contrast that awful muddle of unreason and injustice with what you call my "counsels of despair."
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Even in my own minor assumptions of a state of unreason I had found it very stimulating and amusing.
Eastern Nights - and Flights|Alan Bott
Find the boundary line between reason and unreason in this inextricable tangle!
The Surprises of Life|Georges Clemenceau
Have you not chosen me Abbot of Unreason, and is it lawful for any of you to listen to common sense to-day?
The Abbot|Sir Walter Scott
In the present reference of the card to the letter Shin, which corresponds to 200, the difficulty or the unreason remains.
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot|L. W. de Laurence

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

unreason

Origin of unreason

Words nearby unreason

Words related to unreason

How to use unreason in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unreason