What does "rational" mean?
A rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.
Rational
/ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.
- Grammar: rational is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: acceptable, admissible, algorismic, algorithmic.
- Useful contrasts: absurd, arational, arbitrary.
- Usage evidence: From an objective viewpoint, his argument was far from rational.
How to use "rational"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rational" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rational" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rational" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rational" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rational" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acceptable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rational", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.
"The quotient of two rationals is again a rational."
- 2 The breastplate worn by Israelite high priests. historical
"The Rationale of iudgement alſo thou shalt mke with embrodered worke of diuers colours, according to the workmanship of the Ephod of gold, hyacinth, and purple, and ſcarlet twiſe died, and twiſted ſilke."
- 3 an integer or a fraction wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Capable of reasoning.
"Man is a rational creature."
- 2 Logically sound; not self-contradictory or otherwise absurd.
"His statements were quite rational."
- 3 Healthy or balanced intellectually; exhibiting reasonableness.
"rational conduct"
- 4 Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio; Of a number, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two integers. not-comparable
"¾ is a rational number, but √2 is an irrational number."
- 5 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
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio; Of a variety: (informally) geometrically simple almost everywhere; (formally) birationally equivalent to projective space not-comparable
- 7 Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio; Of a function between varieties: acting as a morphism on an open subset of its domain. not-comparable
- 8 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). not-comparable
- 9 synonymous replacement for "condensed" in condensed formula. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 having its source in or being guided by the intellect (as distinguished from experience or emotion) wordnet
- 2 of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind wordnet
- 3 consistent with or based on or using reason wordnet
- 4 capable of being expressed as a quotient of integers wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"From an objective viewpoint, his argument was far from rational."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rational"?
Common synonyms include: acceptable, admissible, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, all there.
How do you use "rational" in a sentence?
From an objective viewpoint, his argument was far from rational.
How do you pronounce "rational"?
Pronounced /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old French rationel, rational, from Latin rationalis (“of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable; having a ratio”), from ratio (“reason; calculation”).
Etymology 2
From Old French rational, from Medieval Latin rationale (“a pontifical stole, a pallium, an ornament worn over the chasuble”), neuter of Latin rationalis (“rational”), for which see the first etymology. Translation of λογεῖον (logeîon) or perhaps λόγιον (lógion, “oracle”) in the Septuagint version of Exodus 28.