reasonable

adjective

rea·​son·​able ˈrē-zᵊn-ə-bəl How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
ˈrēz-nə-bəl
Synonyms of reasonable
1
a
: being in accordance with reason
a reasonable theory
b
: not extreme or excessive
reasonable requests
c
: moderate, fair
a reasonable chance
a reasonable price
d
: inexpensive
2
a
: having the faculty of reason
b
: possessing sound judgment
a reasonable man
reasonability
ˌrēz-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē, 
ˌrē-zᵊn-ə- How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
noun
reasonableness
ˈrēz-nə-bəl-nəs, 
ˈrē-zᵊn-ə- How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
noun
reasonably
ˈrēz-nə-blē, 
ˈrē-zᵊn-ə- How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of reasonable

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of reasonable in a Sentence

We have reasonable cause not to believe him. She offered a reasonable compromise. It's not reasonable to expect perfect weather. Please be more reasonable. There is no way I'll be able to finish all this work in so little time. A reasonable man would not expect such a thing. Our boss has reasonable expectations of his employees. The team has a reasonable chance of winning. He makes a reasonable amount of money. The store's prices are reasonable. The hotel offers excellent accommodations at reasonable rates.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fair wages, safe housing, shade and water in the fields, and reasonable workplace protections should be the floor, not the ceiling. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2026 At least for kids below the age of 10, defaulting to the old precautions may be reasonable, Smith said. — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026 These prices assume a dog in reasonable coat shape on a regular 4- to 8-week schedule. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026 The seat-reclination question has no obvious universal answer; reasonable people can disagree about it, not just with one another but with themselves over the course of a flight. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for reasonable

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of reasonable was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing reasonable

Rhymes for reasonable

See All Rhymes for reasonable

Browse Nearby Words

reasonability
reasonable
reasonable facsimile
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reasonable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reasonable. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

reasonable

adjective
rea·​son·​able ˈrēz-nə-bəl How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
-ᵊn-ə-bəl
1
a
: not beyond what is usual or expected : moderate
a reasonable request
a reasonable chance of success
b
: not expensive
reasonable prices
2
: able to reason : rational
a reasonable person
reasonability
ˌrēz-nə-ˈbil-ət-ē How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
-ᵊn-ə-
noun
reasonableness
ˈrēz-nə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
-ᵊn-ə-
noun
reasonably
-blē How to pronounce reasonable (audio)
adverb

Legal Definition

reasonable

adjective
rea·​son·​able
1
a
: being in accordance with reason, fairness, duty, or prudence
b
: of an appropriate degree or kind
c
: supported or justified by fact or circumstance
a reasonable belief that force was necessary for self-defense
d
: commercially reasonable
2
: applying reason or logic
broadly : rational sense 1
a reasonable mind
reasonableness noun
reasonably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on reasonable

Nglish: Translation of reasonable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All