reasonable
“Reasonable” means just, rational, appropriate, ordinary, or usual under the circumstances. In law, it is a flexible standard used across many contexts, including reasonable care, cause, accommodations, and doubt in criminal trials.
In negligence law, the “reasonable person” standard refers to the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in similar circumstances. A person who meets this standard can avoid liability for negligence.
The term also appears in tax law. For example, Internal Revenue Code § 162 permits deductions for “a reasonable allowance for salaries or other compensation for personal services.”
“Reasonable” is likewise used as a measure of liability in other fields. In the context of securities fraud, in Basic Inc. v. Levinson, 485 U.S. 224 (1988), the Supreme Court applied a “reasonable investor” standard to determine whether information was material enough to support a claim of fraud.
[Last reviewed in August of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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