rationale

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌræʃəˈnæl/ UK /ˌræʃəˈnɑːl/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the set of reasons or logical basis underlying a course of action

She explained the rationale behind cutting the budget so deeply.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the set of reasons or... reasoning justification basis grounds logic reason explanation

Word family

Related forms rational ratio reason rationalize

Etymology

From Latin rationale, neuter of rationalis ('of reason'), from ratio ('reckoning, reason').

rationalis Latin ratio Latin

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Topics

Actions & Processes

# rationale

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌræʃəˈnæl
**IPA (UK):** ˌræʃəˈnɑːl

## Meanings
1. the set of reasons or logical basis underlying a course of action

## Examples
- She explained the rationale behind cutting the budget so deeply.

## Synonyms
- reasoning
- justification
- basis
- grounds
- logic
- reason
- explanation

## Related Forms
- rational
- ratio
- reason
- rationalize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rationalis
- Root: ratio

## Etymology
From Latin rationale, neuter of rationalis ('of reason'), from ratio ('reckoning, reason').

## AI Etymology
Rationale comes from Latin rationale, neuter of rationalis ('of reason'), from ratio ('reckoning, reason'). The historical chain includes Latin rationalis and Latin ratio. Older glosses in the chain include "of reason" and "reckoning, reason", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, rationale is best read as borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the set of reasons or logical basis underlying a course of action". related forms include rational, ratio, reason, and rationalize. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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rationale

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