noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:R AE2 SH AH0 N AE1 L IH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality or state of being rational; due exercise of reason; reasonableness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
His sudden loss of rationality was brought on by excess drink.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Objective consideration.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
Such a discussion deserves rationality, not emotional gut reactions.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the quality of being consistent with or based on logic
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rationalness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: logicality, logicalness
4
noun
Meaning 4
the state of having good sense and sound judgment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
his rationality may have been impaired
he had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: reason, reasonableness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sanity, saneness
History
Etymology
From rational + -ity, from French rationalité, from Late Latin rationalitas (“rationality, reasonableness”), from Latin rationalis (“reasonable”).
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Asturian:
racionalidá
— quality or state of being rational
Bulgarian:
рационалност
(racionalnost)
— quality or state of being rational
Catalan:
racionalitat
— quality or state of being rational
Danish:
rationalitet
— quality or state of being rational
Dutch:
rationaliteit
— quality or state of being rational
Finnish:
rationaliteetti
— quality or state of being rational
Finnish:
rationaalisuus
— quality or state of being rational
Finnish:
järkevyys
— quality or state of being rational
Finnish:
järkiperäisyys
— quality or state of being rational
French:
rationalité
— quality or state of being rational
Hungarian:
észszerűség
— quality or state of being rational
Hungarian:
racionalitás
— quality or state of being rational
Irish:
réasúnacht
— quality or state of being rational
Irish:
réasúnaíocht
— quality or state of being rational
Irish:
réasúntacht
— quality or state of being rational
Italian:
razionalità
— quality or state of being rational
Latvian:
racionalitāte
— quality or state of being rational
Norwegian Bokmål:
rasjonalitet
— quality or state of being rational
Norwegian Nynorsk:
rasjonalitet
— quality or state of being rational
Polish:
racjonalność
— quality or state of being rational
Portuguese:
racionalidade
— quality or state of being rational
Russian:
рациона́льность
(racionálʹnostʹ)
— quality or state of being rational
Spanish:
racionalidad
— quality or state of being rational
Swedish:
rationalitet
— quality or state of being rational
Turkish:
rasyonellik
— quality or state of being rational
Ukrainian:
раціона́льність
(racionálʹnistʹ)
— quality or state of being rational
