English Meaning & Definitions
A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action, a particular belief, or a specific phenomenon.
- “The committee asked the director to explain the rationale behind the sudden budget cuts.”
- “The scientific rationale for the experiment was based on previous findings in molecular biology.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “rationale”.
Derived from the Late Latin 'rationalis' (of or relating to reason), which stems from the Latin 'ratio' (reason, calculation, or account). It entered English in the early 17th century, originally referring to a reasoned exposition of principles or a commentary on a text, before evolving into its modern sense of the underlying logic or justification for a specific action or belief.
Think of 'rational' + 'ale': You need a rational reason to drink an ale.
Frequently Asked Questions About “rationale”
1. What is the meaning of “rationale” in English?
In English, rationale (noun) is defined as: “A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action, a particular belief, or a specific phenomenon.”.
2. How do you use “rationale” in a sentence?
“The committee asked the director to explain the rationale behind the sudden budget cuts.”
3. What are English synonyms of “rationale”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “rationale”?
Derived from the Late Latin 'rationalis' (of or relating to reason), which stems from the Latin 'ratio' (reason, calculation, or account). It entered English in the early 17th century, originally referring to a reasoned exposition of principles or a commentary on a text, before evolving into its modern sense of the underlying logic or justification for a specific action or belief.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.