Reasonably
adv.thoughtful, capableprofessional
Meaning 1
With sound judgment, fairness, or practical sense.
Reach for it when describing a balanced decision or response that respects the circumstances
The landlord responded reasonably and allowed an extra week for the repair.
Choose between these
4- everyday
when practical good judgment is central
not when Sensibly does not always carry the fairness of reasonably.
- warm
when impartial treatment is the main praise
not when Fairly can also mean moderately, creating the same ambiguity.
- professional
when evidence and logic guide the action
not when Rationally can sound clinical where humane fairness matters.
- formal
when wise discrimination among options deserves emphasis
not when Judiciously is more approving and formal than reasonably.
Meaning 2
To a moderate or sufficient degree.
Reach for it when making a measured positive claim without implying exceptional quality
The route is reasonably accessible when the lower gate is open.
Choose between these
5- everyday
when a conversational estimate of degree fits
not when Fairly varies by dialect and can sound stronger or weaker than intended.
- everyday
quite
when ordinary emphasis suits the dialect and context
not when Quite is highly ambiguous across varieties of English.
- professional
adequately
when meeting a minimum functional standard is enough
not when Adequately often sounds faintly critical rather than positive.
- professional
when limited degree is the exact meaning
not when Moderately describes amount and carries no positive evaluation.
- formal
tolerably
when acceptable but limited quality is honestly meant
not when Tolerably sounds grudging and should not replace genuine praise.
Said against
4- unreasonably
- unfairly
- extremely
- insufficiently
It naturally appears in
4- act reasonably
Both sides continued to act reasonably while the survey was repeated.
- reasonably confident
The engineer was reasonably confident after two independent checks.
- reasonably priced
The cooperative kept the winter produce reasonably priced.
- reasonably expect
Residents can reasonably expect an answer before the next meeting.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adverb sense 1: in a reasonable, fair, or sensible manner opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English adverb sense 2: fairly or moderately opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.