rationale
noun
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If someone asserts that the word rationale refers to a ration of ale, they are wrong, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an actual rationale (a reason, explanation, or basis) for such a claim. “Rationale looks like the words ration and ale jammed together,” they could offer, and while that is true you’d be justified in responding: “Appearances can be deceiving.” Rationale is a direct borrowing of the Latin word rationale, with which it shares the meaning “an explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomena.” The Latin rationale comes from a form of the adjective rationalis (“rational”), which traces back to the noun ratio, meaning “reason.” While the Latin ratio is also the forebear of the English noun ration, referring to a share of something, rationale has nothing to do with a tankard (or stein, or even a pony) of beer.
Examples of rationale in a Sentence
Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The Reddit user, who goes by u/HungrymanH, shared a photo of what appears to be a practically empty red-eye flight and offered a wry take on the airline's rationale.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The company maintained permits weren’t necessary to start because of an exemption for generators on site for less than a year, a rationale Shelby County’s Health Department agreed with.
—Taylor Kate Brown, ProPublica, 17 Sep. 2025
There is a justifiable public-health rationale for going after these shops.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rationale. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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rationale
noun
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