rationalism

noun

ra·​tio·​nal·​ism ˈra-shə-nə-ˌli-zəm 

ˈrash-nə-ˌli-

1

: reliance on reason as the basis for establishment of religious truth

2

a

: a theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense perceptions

b

: a view that reason and experience rather than the nonrational are the fundamental criteria in the solution of problems

3

: functionalism sense 2

rationalist

ˈra-shə-nə-list 

ˈrash-nə-list

noun

rationalist adjective

or rationalistic

ˌra-shə-nə-ˈli--stik 

ˌrash-nə-ˈli

rationalistically

ˌra-shə-nə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌrash-nə-ˈli-

adverb

Examples of rationalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When brutal rationalism is challenged, especially by traditionalists, its defenders will often justify themselves by pointing to the intelligence of its adherents. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Falwell correctly sensed vulnerability in the uneasy alliance between rationalism and Christianity that had prevailed since the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026

In Denmark, the architect Verner Panton, a scion of Bauhaus rationalism and Scandinavian good taste, picked up the scent. — Lewis Jacobsen, Air Mail, 23 May 2026

Most American restaurant operators do not cite mid-century Milanese rationalism; Papachristos says it the way someone names a familiar address. — Paul Jebara, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rationalism

• activism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism
• calvinism