as in irrational
not using or following good reasoning
was so upset that he was completely nonrational for a moment
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Recent Examples of nonrational
Mid-century collective behavior theories considered social movements to be nonrational, spontaneous events occurring during moments of social and cultural breakdown.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonrational
Adjective
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Away from the irrational exuberance, there are still sensible investments to be made.—
Mikael Johnsson,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
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The move would be both economically irrational and morally obtuse.—
Ruth Jean-Marie,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Adjective
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There are people who desire to drastically improve the health of our ecosystems who unknowingly struggle with unreasonable expectations.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Feb. 2026
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Amid those pressures, many people turn to the comfort of a pet – but the expectations for what dogs can bring to our lives are becoming increasingly unreasonable.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Nelly herself is heavily reinterpreted by Fennell, imagined in this film as the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat who serves as Cathy’s maid; the film also runs with modern readings of her character as a more proactive meddler in the doomed love between the main characters.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Advertisement Played by Vietnamese American actor Hong Chau, the Nelly of Fennell's film is reframed as the illegitimate daughter of a lord, and she is directly involved in the misunderstandings that drive the movie's central tragedies.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonrational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonrational. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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