rational
rational Lexical Profile
rational Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Based on or in accordance with reason, logic, or sound judgment rather than emotion.
"After the initial shock subsided, the committee sat down to make a calm, rational decision."
Endowed with the capacity to think, reason, or understand clearly; in full possession of one's mental faculties.
"The patient was disoriented upon arrival, but by morning she was fully alert and rational."
Capable of being expressed exactly as a ratio or quotient of two integers (of a number, quantity, or mathematical expression).
"Every terminating or repeating decimal can be written as a rational number."
• noun
A rational number; a real number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers.
"In number theory, the set of rationals is countably infinite, whereas the set of real numbers is uncountable."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse the adjective 'rational' (based on reason or logic) with the noun 'rationale' (an underlying set of reasons or logical basis for a course of action).
• Rhymes for rational
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French 'rational' and directly from Latin 'rationalis' (of or belonging to reason), from 'ratio' (reckoning, calculation, reason), derived from the verb 'reri' (to reckon, think).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.