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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rational
In the process, Brooks observes, story has eclipsed rational argument as the dominant purveyor of social, political, and historical truths.
—
Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Common Tactics and Themes Vyazovoy explained that many scams rely on basic social engineering—creating a sense of urgency to bypass rational thinking.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The alliance emphasizes that climate emotions — anxiety, grief, even rage — are not pathologies but rational responses to a destabilized world.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
Batch was trying to be rational but was often swayed by Buzz's mesmerizing touting.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rational
Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Common Tactics and Themes Vyazovoy explained that many scams rely on basic social engineering—creating a sense of urgency to bypass rational thinking.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The alliance emphasizes that climate emotions — anxiety, grief, even rage — are not pathologies but rational responses to a destabilized world.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
Batch was trying to be rational but was often swayed by Buzz's mesmerizing touting.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rational
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rational
Adjective
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The aquatic mammals, Hadsel says, are so intelligent and have such strong sensory organs that they can be taught to recover human remains.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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In the summer of '38, only the very intelligent people knew what was coming.—
Liz McNeil,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Not even a meta ending that pushes that idea to its logical breaking point can sour you on it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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To be fair, public entities have been stretching public records trade secret exceptions to logical extremes long before college athletes started getting paid—and these carve-outs are often intended to be permissive.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That said, reasonable preparation can help even those familiar with international payment systems avoid high fees, long waits and general confusion.—
Jason Phillips,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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That’s understandable and reasonable, and fans have every right to express their fandom through frustration when teams don’t live up to expectations.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Not even a coherent defense of whatever decisions prompted the protests.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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Apparently each set of doubles is supposed to add up to a coherent theme.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The ledger is the foundation of reasoned conclusion.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
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The differences between any given Grokipedia and Wikipedia entry are in some sense hard to debate because there is no shared ground upon which to have a reasoned disagreement; to gravitate toward Grokipedia is to leave the world of evidence for that of belief.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 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
-
Military admission with valid ID is $18.—
Marcus Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle, valid for a full week across all three park units, or $55 for an annual pass.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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At 48 percent off, the traveler-adored Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is an excellent, sensible gift that can function as both a personal item and an everyday sightseeing tote.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
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Understanding the absurdity of one trillion anything makes the $38 trillion US national debt that economists have been blathering on about for years look almost sensible.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rational. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
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