rational

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The trick is to make truthful revelation the rational choice and misrepresentation unprofitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Nations that believe they can outcompete anyone, anywhere embrace open markets as a matter of rational self-interest.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

That may be rational behavior at the household level.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

His most influential work, The Theory of Communicative Action, published in 1981, argued that human societies were sustained not by political or economic power but by the capacity for rational dialogue.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

“Nereids follow their own laws, Christopher. They’re profoundly rational, but in the same way that the sea is rational. Much of their language, Nerish, has no translation at all into any human tongue.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell