Standard Lemma guide

reasonableness

noun · 7 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.

  • /ˈɹiː.zə.nə.bəl.nəs/
  • /ˈɹiːz.nə.bəl.nəs/
  • Australian: [ˈɹɪiz.nə.bəl.nəs]
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY1 Z AH0 N AH0 B AH2 L N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R IY1 Z N AH0 B AH2 L N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or characteristic of being reasonable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A reasonable action or behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being plausible or acceptable to a reasonable person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he questioned the tenability of my claims

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tenability, tenableness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plausibility, plausibleness

4

noun

Meaning 4

moderation in expectations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • without greater reasonableness by both parties we will never settle this matter!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: moderation, moderateness

5

noun

Meaning 5

the property of being moderate in price or expenditures

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the store is famous for the reasonableness of its prices
  • the modestness of the living standards here becomes obvious immediately

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: moderateness, modestness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inexpensiveness

6

noun

Meaning 6

goodness of reason and judgment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the judiciary is built on the reasonableness of judges

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wisdom, wiseness, soundness

Narrower terms: sensibleness

7

noun

Meaning 7

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: rationality, reason

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sanity, saneness

History

Etymology

From Middle English resonabilnes, resonabilnesse, resonablenesse, equivalent to reasonable + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: rozumnost — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • French: modération — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • German: Vernünftigkeit — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Ancient Greek: ἐπιείκεια (epieíkeia) — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Irish: réasún — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Irish: réasúntacht — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Italian: ragionevolezza — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Kazakh: ақыл-парасаттылық (aqyl-parasattylyq) — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Portuguese: razoabilidade — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Romanian: rațiune — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Sicilian: raciunivulizza — state or characteristic of being reasonable
  • Turkish: makuliyet — state or characteristic of being reasonable