rationalism
noun
ra·tio·nal·ism
ˈrash-nə-ˌli-zəm 
ˈra-shə-nə-ˌli-
1
: reliance on reason as the basis for establishment of religious truth
2
a
: a theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense perceptions
b
: a view that reason and experience rather than the nonrational are the fundamental criteria in the solution of problems
Examples of rationalism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a lifelong journalist and media entrepreneur, Brill possesses the rationalism of the former and the certainty of the latter that facts are what move the world.
—
Laura Wagner, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
Gulen has tried to develop a genuinely modern school of Islam that reconciles the religion with liberal democracy, scientific rationalism, ecumenism, and free enterprise…
The Church Undivided
Pope Benedict XVI made reaching out to other faiths and promoting Christian unity hallmarks of his tenure.
—Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
The Munich Cosmic Circle, for example, was animated by the belief that rationalism had caused the West to decline and that the only way out was a return to paganism.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
The founder of Objectivism, which extols rationalism and selfishness above all else, and whose disciples include Peter Thiel, former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan and many young men averse to moral complexity.
—Ryan Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
But whole scenes are narrated from his perspective, which, like Mad’s, displays a mix of sophisticated rationalism and aww-inducing naiveté.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023
What has been lost in this exercise of rationalism is the Gothic weirdness of the plant’s former guts, the platforms and voids and catwalks that characterized a place designed around inanimate objects and the transformation of a product from goo to granules.
—Curbed, 27 Sep. 2023
Where other mathematicians blanched and went crazy, von Neumann persevered, following the contours of rationalism into a black hole.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
The Seattle library clearly became a precedent for Perelman, a design of similarly obsessive rationalism, with its vertiginous, flexible interiors.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Laura Wagner, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
Gulen has tried to develop a genuinely modern school of Islam that reconciles the religion with liberal democracy, scientific rationalism, ecumenism, and free enterprise…
The Church Undivided
Pope Benedict XVI made reaching out to other faiths and promoting Christian unity hallmarks of his tenure.
—Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
The Munich Cosmic Circle, for example, was animated by the belief that rationalism had caused the West to decline and that the only way out was a return to paganism.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
The founder of Objectivism, which extols rationalism and selfishness above all else, and whose disciples include Peter Thiel, former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan and many young men averse to moral complexity.
—Ryan Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
But whole scenes are narrated from his perspective, which, like Mad’s, displays a mix of sophisticated rationalism and aww-inducing naiveté.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023
What has been lost in this exercise of rationalism is the Gothic weirdness of the plant’s former guts, the platforms and voids and catwalks that characterized a place designed around inanimate objects and the transformation of a product from goo to granules.
—Curbed, 27 Sep. 2023
Where other mathematicians blanched and went crazy, von Neumann persevered, following the contours of rationalism into a black hole.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
The Seattle library clearly became a precedent for Perelman, a design of similarly obsessive rationalism, with its vertiginous, flexible interiors.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rationalism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rationalism
Cite this Entry
“Rationalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rationalism. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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