adjective · academic
rational
/ˈræʃənəl/RA·tion·al
based on reason or clear thinking rather than emotion
Examples
“A rational argument in an essay weighs evidence before drawing conclusions.”
“Policy-makers need rational criteria when prioritising public spending.”
“Rational choice theory is often used to model individual decision-making.”
Band 8 sentence
“A rational analysis of the data requires transparency about assumptions and limitations.”
Collocations
- rational decision
- on a rational basis
- rational choice theory
Word family
Common mistakes
He acted rational in the meeting.→He acted rationally in the meeting.
Their decision was very reasonable, logical and rationally.→Their decision was very reasonable and logical.
Say it for a higher band
5logical→6reasonable→7+rational
Synonyms
logical
reasonable
Easily confused
reasonable
“It is reasonable to expect some delays during the pilot phase.”
logical
“Her conclusion follows a logical progression from the data presented.”
Related words
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In Sublist 6
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