rational en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Old French rationel, rational, from Latin rationalis (“of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable; having a ratio”), from ratio (“reason; calculation”).
Meanings
-
Capable of reasoning.
Man is a rational creature.
The utility of valid arguments is a monument to our frailty: to the fact that we are not completely rational beings.
2001, Mark Sainsbury, chapter 1, in Logical Forms — An Introduction to Philosophical Logic, 2nd edition, Blackwell Publishing, →ISBN, §7, page 32:
- Capable of reasoning. ▸ Behaving according to some partial order of preferences.
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Logically sound; not self-contradictory or otherwise absurd.
Prevention for the future is now almost universally allowed to be the only rational plea for the infliction of punishment; but this, when left to the arbitrary discretion of individuals, always has been found, and always will be found, to degenerate into the exercise of revenge for the past.
1812 The Freethinking Christians' Magazine: Volume 2 p. 21His statements were quite rational.
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(of a person or personal characteristics) Healthy or balanced intellectually; exhibiting reasonableness.
Temperature 99.8 degrees. Pulse 104. She was quite conscious and rational at times, at others very noisy.
1867 C. Handfield Jones, Case Of Low Fever: Delirium: Incomplete Dementia. The British Medical Journal Vol. 2, No. 344, Aug. 3rational conduct
The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.
2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8892:
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(not-comparable) Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio ▸ Of a number, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two integers.
¾ is a rational number, but √2 is an irrational number.
- (not-comparable) Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio ▸ Of an algebraic expression in indeterminates, or more generally a function: capable of being expressed as the ratio of two polynomials.
- (not-comparable) Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio ▸ Of a variety: (informally) geometrically simple almost everywhere; (formally) birationally equivalent to projective space
- (not-comparable) Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio ▸ Of a function between varieties: acting as a morphism on an open subset of its domain.
- (not-comparable) Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio ▸ Of a point on an algebraic variety over a field: whose coordinates belong to the field in question (in contrast to those points of the variety which are only defined over the algebraic closure of the base field).
- (obsolete) synonymous replacement for "condensed" in condensed formula.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more rational | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| rationall | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| most rational | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
irrational (antonym(s) of “reasonable”) · arbitrary (antonym(s) of “reasonable”) · arational (antonym(s) of “capable of reasoning”) · irrational (antonym(s) of “number theory”) · irrational (antonym(s) of “capable of reasoning”) · nonsensical (antonym(s) of “reasonable”) · absurd (antonym(s) of “reasonable”) · non-rational (antonym(s) of “capable of reasoning”)
Deriveds
rational egoist · hyperrational · rationalistic · superrational · ultrarational · unirational · rational horizon · rational dress · rationalist · biorational · rationally · rational root theorem · contrarational · rational selfishness · nonrational · extrarational · rationalization · semirational · rationalisation · Ratfor · birational · pseudorational · rational egoism · rational symptom · rational numbers · rational choice theory · unrational · transrational · preterrational · antirational · rationalism · prerational · overrational · rational basis review · rational function
Relateds
suprarational · rationality · rationale · irrational · subrational · rationalness · non-rational · arational
Translations (140)
grc λογικός (capable of reasoning) · hu racionális (reasonable; not absurd) · cs racionální (reasonable; not absurd) · hi तार्किक (capable of reasoning) · el ρητός (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ru целесообра́зный (reasonable; not absurd) · mk рациона́лен (capable of reasoning) · fr raisonnable (reasonable; not absurd) · es racional (capable of reasoning) · uk раціона́льний (reasonable; not absurd) · fi järkiperäinen (reasonable; not absurd) · de rational (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · pt racional (reasonable; not absurd) · pl rozsądny (reasonable; not absurd) · sh razborit (reasonable; not absurd) · bg рационален (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · hi तार्किक (reasonable; not absurd) · sh рационалан (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · hy նպատակահարմար (reasonable; not absurd) · fr rationnel (arithmetic: of a number) · ro rațional (capable of reasoning) · ca racional (capable of reasoning) · sh разборит (reasonable; not absurd) · hu észszerű (reasonable; not absurd) · te హేతుబద్దమైన (reasonable; not absurd) · mk целисходен (reasonable; not absurd) · hu racionális (arithmetic: of a number) · sh racionalan (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ka გონივრული (reasonable; not absurd) · grc ἔμφρων (capable of reasoning) · nl rationeel (reasonable; not absurd) · fi rationaalinen (reasonable; not absurd) · ru разу́мный (reasonable; not absurd) · ko 유리수 (arithmetic: of a number) · de vernünftig (capable of reasoning) · it logico (reasonable; not absurd) · ru рассуди́тельный (reasonable; not absurd) · sh рационалан (arithmetic: of a number) · ko 합리적 (reasonable; not absurd) · mk ра́зумен (capable of reasoning) · cmn 合理的 (capable of reasoning) · cmn 有理 (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ca racional (reasonable; not absurd) · ka ჭკვიანური (reasonable; not absurd) · fi rationaalinen (capable of reasoning) · gd ciallach (reasonable; not absurd) · sh racionalan (reasonable; not absurd) · vi hợp lí (reasonable; not absurd) · it razionale (arithmetic: of a number) · ja 合理的 (reasonable; not absurd) · hy ռացիոնալ (reasonable; not absurd) · fr rationnel (capable of reasoning) · is ræður (arithmetic: of a number) · ka რაციონალური (reasonable; not absurd) · ca racional (arithmetic: of a number) · tl tagwayin (arithmetic: of a number) · nl rationele (arithmetic: of a number) · sh racionalan (capable of reasoning) · pt racional (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ru рациона́льный (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · cmn 合理的 (reasonable; not absurd) · sh рационалан (reasonable; not absurd) · fr rationnelle (arithmetic: of a number) · it razionale (capable of reasoning) · pt racional (arithmetic: of a number) · it ragionevole (reasonable; not absurd) · sh racionalan (arithmetic: of a number) · id rasional (capable of reasoning) · bg смислен (reasonable; not absurd) · ka კეთილგონივრული (reasonable; not absurd) · ru рациона́льный (capable of reasoning) · fr rationnelle (capable of reasoning) · it sensato (reasonable; not absurd) · mk рациона́лен (reasonable; not absurd) · de vernünftig (reasonable; not absurd) · ru мы́слящий (capable of reasoning) · es racional (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · sv rationell (arithmetic: of a number) · hi परिमेय (arithmetic: of a number) · ang ġesċeādwīs (capable of reasoning) · vi hợp lý (reasonable; not absurd) · es razonable (reasonable; not absurd) · cmn 有理 (arithmetic: of a number) · cs racionální (capable of reasoning) · de rational (capable of reasoning) · hy բանական (capable of reasoning) · de sinnvoll (capable of reasoning) · fi rationaali- (arithmetic: of a number) · bg разумен (capable of reasoning) · nl rationeel (arithmetic: of a number) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (reasonable; not absurd) · it lucido (capable of reasoning) · hi परिमेय (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · pl racjonalny (reasonable; not absurd) · ru рациона́льный (reasonable; not absurd) · bg рационален (arithmetic: of a number) · tl matwirin (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · uk раціона́льний (arithmetic: of a number) · mk рациона́лен (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ja 有理の (arithmetic: of a number) · fi järkeenkäypä (reasonable; not absurd) · de rational (arithmetic: of a number) · mk рациона́лен (arithmetic: of a number) · nl verstandelijk (reasonable; not absurd) · sh разуман (reasonable; not absurd) · ar عَقْلَانِيّ (reasonable; not absurd) · sh разуман (capable of reasoning) · fi rationaali- (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · grc λογικός (reasonable; not absurd) · ru разу́мный (capable of reasoning) · ang ġesċeādwīs (reasonable; not absurd) · hu értelmes (capable of reasoning) · hy խելացի (reasonable; not absurd) · nl redelijk (reasonable; not absurd) · ru рациона́льный (arithmetic: of a number) · pt racional (capable of reasoning) · sh рационалан (capable of reasoning) · is ræður (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · gd ciallach (capable of reasoning) · es racional (arithmetic: of a number) · hy ռացիոնալ (arithmetic: of a number) · el ρητός (arithmetic: of a number) · ja 有理の (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · ro rațional (reasonable; not absurd) · sv rationell (reasonable; not absurd) · sh razuman (capable of reasoning) · fi järjellinen (reasonable; not absurd) · da rationel (reasonable; not absurd) · id rasional (reasonable; not absurd) · pl racjonalny (capable of reasoning) · ro rațional (arithmetic: of a number) · hy ռացիոնալ (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · cs racionální (arithmetic: of a number) · sh razuman (reasonable; not absurd) · fi järkevä (reasonable; not absurd) · mt għaqli (reasonable; not absurd) · uk раціона́льний (arithmetic: of an algebraic expression) · cmn 理性的 (capable of reasoning) · pl wymierny (arithmetic: of a number) · mk разумен (reasonable; not absurd)