rationale

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌræʃəˈnæl/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action, a particular belief, or a decision; the underlying explanation or justification for something.; A statement or exposition of the reasons or principles underlying a particular action, belief, or system of thought.; The fundamental reason or logical ground for a belief, practice, or phenomenon; the underlying principle.; In philosophy and logic, the rational basis or justification that makes a conclusion or argument valid and sound.; In medicine and pharmacology, the scientific reasoning or evidence-based justification for a particular treatment approach or therapeutic intervention.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: rationales

Collocations

the rationale forthe rationale behindprovide a rationaleclear rationaleunderlying rationalestrong rationale

Derivatives

rationalrationalizerationalizationrationallyrationalityrationalism

Synonyms

reasoningjustificationbasislogicgroundsmotivation

Commonly confused

rational
EN: 'Rational' is an adjective meaning logical or reasonable; 'rationale' is a noun meaning the underlying reason or justification.
rationalize
EN: 'Rationalize' is a verb meaning to justify with plausible reasons or to make more efficient; 'rationale' is the noun for the reason itself.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'rationale' ends in '-ale' (from Latin 'rationalis'), not '-al' like the adjective 'rational'. Do not confuse the noun with the adjective.

💬 Examples

  1. The rationale behind the new policy was to reduce costs while maintaining quality.

  2. The author provided a detailed rationale for the experimental design in the methodology section.

  3. There is no clear rationale for why the species evolved such a complex mating ritual.

  4. The philosopher's rationale for moral realism rests on the existence of objective ethical truths.

  5. The rationale for combining these two drugs is their synergistic effect on tumor cells.