Reasonableness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiː.zə.nə.bəl.nəs/

Definitions

1. The state of being just and sensible encompasses fairness and sound judgement in various contexts
2. This trait involves a balanced and logical approach to decisions, emphasizing moderation and fairness
3. The quality of being fair and sensible includes sound reasoning and equitable judgment in diverse situations

Etymology: "Reasonableness" is a plain formation: the adjective "reasonable" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective itself passed into Middle English from Old French "raisonable," which came from Latin "rationabilis," meaning "endowed with reason" or "rational." That root is shared with "reason," so the word has always carried the sense of being governed by sound thinking rather than impulse. The noun first appeared in Middle English in forms such as "resonabilnes" and "resonablenesse," spelled in many ways before the modern spelling settled. Its early uses leaned toward the literal idea of a thing being in accordance with reason, while the modern sense of fairness and moderation in judgement developed later as "reasonable" came to describe conduct that is measured and fair-minded.

Synonyms: rationality, fairness, justness

Antonyms: irrationality, unreasonableness