Reasonably

How to spell reasonably

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce reasonably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reasonably mean?

1. adverbTo a moderate or fair extent; fairly but not perfectly.
2. adverbIn a rational, sensible, or fair manner.

Reasonably in a sentence

• The apartment was reasonably clean when the tenants moved in.

• He acted reasonably during the dispute and avoided a shouting match.

• The flight was reasonably priced for such a busy weekend.

• The manager responded reasonably to every complaint from the staff.

Where does reasonably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin noun ratio, which meant a reckoning, a calculation, or an account, and by extension the faculty of thinking itself. From ratio came the Old French raison, meaning judgement or good sense, which English borrowed in the 1200s as 'reason'. Once 'reason' was established, English added the suffix -able to form 'reasonable', describing something that accords with good sense or is fair in degree, and then attached the adverbial -ly to give 'reasonably'. The spelling trap lives in the silent, unstressed middle: the 'on' of reason is barely heard and the 'a' of -able collapses into a schwa, so writers may drop a letter or misjudge the vowels. Remembering that it is simply reason + able + ly, three clean pieces, keeps the spelling on track.

How the word is built

• reason (from Latin ratio: calculation, reckoning)
• -able (capable of)
• -ly (adverb suffix)