1
as in intelligent
having the ability to reason
human beings are rational creatures
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in logical
according to the rules of logic
insisted there was a rational explanation for the strange creaking noises and that there were no such things as ghosts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reasonable
based on sound reasoning or information
betting all of your savings on the lottery is not a rational move
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rational
His post sparked hundreds of comments debating whether this behavior reflected irresponsibility or a rational shift in spending priorities.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Trapped by societal constraints of family, duty and social expectations, their love can only survive in memory and on stage, forcing a heartbreakingly rational farewell.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
So there’s no rational reason to make long term deals with the United States anymore, or count on them in any way, shape or form.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Mass death, yes, but rational mass death.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rational
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Trapped by societal constraints of family, duty and social expectations, their love can only survive in memory and on stage, forcing a heartbreakingly rational farewell.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
So there’s no rational reason to make long term deals with the United States anymore, or count on them in any way, shape or form.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Mass death, yes, but rational mass death.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rational
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rational
Adjective
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Millions grew up less intelligent, more violent, poorer, and more likely to die from heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.—
Tom Frieden,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
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But there were circumstances that could allow the highly intelligent Leland to have a better life.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Those seemingly chaotic kids are on their way to more obviously logical behavior soon.—
Celeste Kidd,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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Things had crumbled enough that Sasaki emerged as a logical option.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The commission tabled the item to provide more time for Experience Fayetteville staff to evaluate the worth of the property, the house's annual expenses, a reasonable market-rate rent range and the total cost of repairs to the property paid for by Experience Fayetteville.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Sep. 2025
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The federal law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One thing that is really striking is that there really doesn’t seem to be a coherent China policy in this Administration.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
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By studying the region with narrowband filters sensitive to hydrogen (H-alpha) and sulfur (S II) emissions, the team detected a coherent, circular shell structure centered on the nova.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Nibert loved the free-thinking spirit of the village and its college.—
Keith BieryGolick,
Cincinnati.com,
28 Aug. 2019
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Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback.—
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com,
al,
22 Aug. 2019
Adjective
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The individual permit, which requires a $25 fee per shipment, is valid for a range of dates authorized once issued.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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Messages > Send & Receive and tap your valid phone number to activate iMessage.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of nine films that span more than 50 years, not once does horror film icon Leatherface take sensible chainsaw safety precautions.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
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To kick off your collection, here’s what The Athletic feel are the most sensible and eye-catching Yamal rookie cards to collect.—
Andrew Mackie,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rational. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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