as in rational
having the ability to reason
judged by the courts not to be a reasoning being who could be held accountable for his crimes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in logic
the thought processes that have been established as leading to valid solutions to problems
your reasoning here is faulty, for although all wives are spouses, not all spouses are wives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in understanding
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
she reasoned that since all of the cakes were on sale for the same price, she might as well pick the biggest one
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in arguing
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
he tried to reason that no one in their right mind would buy his brother's old video games, but they were put on the online auction anyway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reasoning
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 23 July 2025
El-Erian’s comments, issued via social media and elaborated in press interviews, are remarkable not only for their candor, but for their counterintuitive reasoning: El-Erian believes Powell should step aside to protect the institution’s independence in the face of multiplying political attacks.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 July 2025
That includes the parts of the brain involved in impulse control and higher-order cognition, such as learning and reasoning and decision-making.
—The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
Your governance framework should mandate that agents can articulate their reasoning, provide confidence scores and maintain audit trails.
—Chris Willis, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Google’s advanced version of Gemini and OpenAI’s experimental reasoning model both solved five of six math problems, which cover algebra, geometry, number theory, and combinatorics (a counting math), the representatives of the companies said.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 23 July 2025
El-Erian’s comments, issued via social media and elaborated in press interviews, are remarkable not only for their candor, but for their counterintuitive reasoning: El-Erian believes Powell should step aside to protect the institution’s independence in the face of multiplying political attacks.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 July 2025
That includes the parts of the brain involved in impulse control and higher-order cognition, such as learning and reasoning and decision-making.
—The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
Your governance framework should mandate that agents can articulate their reasoning, provide confidence scores and maintain audit trails.
—Chris Willis, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
His team took a rational approach to update requirements that were the same for a single-family property versus a quad plex that took up the same physical footprint but had much different needs.—
Jennifer Castenson,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
Tubi and a planned Fox One are rational entries in streaming.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
Interrogate the foundation models and their synthetic generation logic.—
Jēnna Reese,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
There is little room for the moral complexity of offline existence when everything operates by the logic of the feed.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Biden administration paid out three rounds of stimulus checks to American households, arguing the move would stimulate the economy and help families get through the emergency.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The president justified his decision by arguing that all three of the nations were not doing enough to curb the influx of drugs, specifically fentanyl, coming into the United States.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Operation Bounce House follows Oliver Lewis, a colonist on the planet New Sonora, who leads a simple life on his family ranch, playing with his band and tending to his family's selection of intelligent agriculture bots.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
14 July 2025
-
These earbuds feature intelligent noise control, which removes up to twice as much background noise as previous AirPods models.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The administration maintains that the naysayers are wrong, and alas, there is indeed reason to suspect the official narrative of financial experts.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
-
Law enforcement determined the child is not a runaway, and a custody dispute is not the sole reason for requesting an activation.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
The path is similar this time around, and Tampa Bay is coming off a resounding 40-17 victory over the playoff-contending Los Angeles Chargers.—
Associated Pess,
Orlando Sentinel,
22 Dec. 2024
-
Against this backdrop, the remainder of López's contract could be appealing to a contending team.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Nibert loved the free-thinking spirit of the village and its college.—
Keith BieryGolick,
Cincinnati.com,
28 Aug. 2019
-
Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback.—
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com,
al,
22 Aug. 2019
Verb
-
But the process of cleaning up the charred remnants and deciding the fate of what’s left of the historic building may take years.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
11 Mar. 2025
-
There are several considerations when deciding where to live and retire.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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