rationale
noun
ra·tio·nale
ˌra-shə-ˈnal 
1
: an explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomena
2
: an underlying reason : basis
Did you know?
Rationale comes from Latin ratio, meaning "reason," and rationalis, "endowed with reason." Ratio is reasonably familiar as an English word for the relationship (in number, quantity, or degree) between things.
Examples of rationale in a Sentence
the rationale for starting the school day an hour later is that kids will supposedly get an extra hour of sleep
Recent Examples on the Web
Escobar disputed Bass’ rationale for firing Crowley, saying that an outside investigation into the fire is already underway.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Federal agencies appear to be citing lackluster performance as rationale for many job cuts in termination letters, experts said.
—Annie Nova,lorie Konish,greg Iacurci,ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
During the gathering, Limp cited business strategy as the rationale for making the cuts to a workforce of more than 10,000 people.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
The rationale is that top players will then be available to appear in the mixed doubles, attracting more fans and allowing broadcasters to spotlight the competition before main draw singles play begins on August 24.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
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Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Federal agencies appear to be citing lackluster performance as rationale for many job cuts in termination letters, experts said.
—Annie Nova,lorie Konish,greg Iacurci,ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
During the gathering, Limp cited business strategy as the rationale for making the cuts to a workforce of more than 10,000 people.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
The rationale is that top players will then be available to appear in the mixed doubles, attracting more fans and allowing broadcasters to spotlight the competition before main draw singles play begins on August 24.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rationale. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rationale
noun
ra·tio·nale
ˌrash-ə-ˈnal
: a basic reason or explanation for something
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