Word family noun rationality ≠ irrationality rationale rationalism rationalist rationalization adjective rational ≠ irrational rationalist verb rationalize adverb rationally ≠ irrationally
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishirrationalir‧ra‧tion‧al /ɪˈræʃənəl/ ●○○ AWL adjective LOGICALnot based on clear thought or reason SYN unreasonable OPP rational, reasonable an irrational fear of flying He’s becoming increasingly irrational. —irrationally adverb —irrationality /ɪˌræʃəˈnæləti/ noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
irrational• This, you understand, is purely sentimental and wholly irrational.• Yet although these medical theories were wrong, they weren't altogether irrational.• Vance is becoming increasingly irrational.• Fighting hard to prevent such losses is not irrational.• If Dane drinks even a couple of beers, he becomes irrational and even violent.• His behaviour can be somewhat irrational at times.• It was a pathetic gesture on my part, an irrational breach of the wall.• I knew I was being irrational but I began to fear the worst.• She struggled to overcome her irrational fear of the dark.• Jane's irrational hopes began to rise as she listened to him.• A man once famed for his intolerance, xenophobia and irrational rages has become a husk of his former self.• This never worked, but I did it every time: tried to talk her out of her irrational ways.• In retrospect their structure seems irrational with no clear division between territorial and functional responsibilities. 