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View synonyms for irrationally

irrationally

[ ih-rash-uh-nl-ee, -rash-nl- ]

adverb

  1. in a way that is contrary to reason or is not sensible; illogically:

    In firing a highly competent CEO without cause, the Board acted unlawfully, unreasonably, and irrationally.

    Stick to your simple calculation and logic, even when markets are behaving irrationally.

  2. in a way that is driven by impulse or instinct rather than reason; without having or being able to use the faculty of reason:

    When a reporter started poking around, the suspect began acting irrationally and took off like a wild animal.



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Other Words From

  • non·ir·ra·tion·al·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of irrationally1

First recorded in 1640–50; irrational ( def ) + -ly ( def )

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Example Sentences

“None of the status conference orders or decisions on motions were found to be irrational,” said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the Office of Court Administration.

Republicans are not irrational for spending down their electoral advantage on more temperamentally extreme candidates and ideologically pure policies.

From Vox

The entire GOP strategy for the Georgia Senate elections apparently centers on a belief that Georgia voters are irrational and will rise up in fury because they think they have been wronged — again — by conniving Democrats.

There’s a reason some marketers refer to this quirk of the industry as “irrational budget dumping.”

From Digiday

Mathematicians usually solve this problem by arranging the rationals in a line and filling the gaps with irrational numbers to create a complete number system that we call the real numbers.

According to her personal blog, “Irrationally Optimistic,” Zhang is a mother of two, living in a “double professional household.”

The predominant school of thought holds that the markets are irrationally acting—and crashing—in response to the news.

The latest incident will give new life to the gossip that Trierweiler is irrationally jealous of Royal.

It would be better to spend rationally now than irrationally in the heat of an election year.

It diminishes what they add to society, irrationally elevating their private lives in ways that do a disservice to them and to us.

The minds of many quite honest men resisted the new knowledge instinctively and irrationally.

But the job would take hours, and he was irrationally convinced that Jill had been left behind in the construction camp.

He did not know why he was so irrationally happy, for nothing was changed in his life or hers.

The elemental mother in her battled on the side of her only son—foolishly, irrationally, unkindly.

They testified that he not only drank himself to death, but that he acted irrationally and was clean out of his mind.

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