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Desirable vs Rational - What's the difference?

desirable | rational |

As adjectives the difference between desirable and rational

is that desirable is wanted while rational is capable of reasoning.

As a noun rational is

(mathematics) a rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.

desirable

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Suitable]], worthy to be [[desire#Verb, desired.
  • *
    • With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get

    Antonyms

    * undesirable

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A thing that people want; something that is desirable.
    • There are plenty of desirables on display in the window.
    ----

    rational

    English

    Alternative forms

    * rationall (obsolete)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) rationel, rational, from (etyl)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Capable of reasoning.
  • *
  • Logically sound; not contradictory or otherwise absurd.
  • (label) Healthy or balanced intellectually; exhibiting reasonableness.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-21, volume=411, issue=8892, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Magician’s brain , passage=The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.}}
  • Of a number, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two integers.
    • ¾ is a rational number, but ?2 is an irrational number.
  • Of an algebraic expression, capable of being expressed as the ratio of two polynomials.
  • (label) Expressing the type, structure, relations, and reactions of a compound; graphic; said of formulae.
    • Antonyms
    * (reasonable) absurd, irrational, nonsensical * (capable of reasoning) arational, irrational, non-rational * (number theory) irrational
    Related terms
    * arational * irrational * non-rational * rationale * rationality * rationalness * subrational * suprarational

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) rational, from , for which see the first etymology.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (mathematics) A rational number: a number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers.
    • The quotient of two rationals''' is again a '''rational .
  • A rational being.
    • (Young)

    References

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    Anagrams

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