Loading page
say it: RASH-uh-nuhl
rational is an adjective and noun meaning "consistent with or based on or using reason". It carries 5 recorded senses.
consistent with or based on or using reason
“rational behavior”
“a process of rational inference”
“rational thought”
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
“intellectual problems”
“the triumph of the rational over the animal side of man”
having its source in or being guided by the intellect (as distinguished from experience or emotion)
“a rational analysis”
an integer or a fraction
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for rational come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.