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
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
Although the official reasoning from the White House is that this first round of tariffs — the duties on Canada, Mexico, and China — is to force action against fentanyl smuggling, Trump is also using trade policy to convince companies to make products in the U.S.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 5 Mar. 2025
Also, job training programs, volunteering and education, unless in a degree program, generally don’t come with health insurance coverage, making this reasoning faulty.
—Nicole Huberfeld, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
Judicial review encourages agencies to be meticulous in their analysis and transparent in their reasoning.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
When the goal is elusive—such as beating an unbeatable chess engine—reasoning models may tend to start looking for unfair or problematic solutions.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
Although the official reasoning from the White House is that this first round of tariffs — the duties on Canada, Mexico, and China — is to force action against fentanyl smuggling, Trump is also using trade policy to convince companies to make products in the U.S.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 5 Mar. 2025
Also, job training programs, volunteering and education, unless in a degree program, generally don’t come with health insurance coverage, making this reasoning faulty.
—Nicole Huberfeld, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
Judicial review encourages agencies to be meticulous in their analysis and transparent in their reasoning.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
So the rational strategy, in many cases, is to wait.—
Phil De Luna,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Your inability to establish a rational, functional and legal system of immigration is an abject failure on your part.—
Peter Cunningham,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The logic of such an approach is predicated not just in social and political science but in the natural science understanding of complex adaptive systems.—
Saleem H. Ali,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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Going forward the Globes will operate under similar logic.—
Erik Hayden,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Adnan often finds himself at the center of the theatrics — from arguing with Brian about ego to suggesting Veah is an untrustworthy partner after Sunny accused her of cheating.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Bowman’s lawyers asked the state Supreme Court to delay his execution to allow a hearing on his last-ditch appeal arguing that his trial lawyer was not prepared and had too much sympathy for the white victim and not his black client.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Put differently, intelligent onboarding can enable financial service providers to reach thin-file and difficult-to-identify demographics while reducing dropout rates.—
James Bruni,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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What’s more, Asian elephants are highly social, highly intelligent, and endangered, raising intractable ethical obstacles to experimenting on them.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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No one suspected the underlying reason: cognitive decline due to early-onset Alzheimer's disease.—
Laura Kwerel,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2025
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This is yet another reason why AI can serve humanity but can never replace people outright.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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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
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Against this backdrop, the remainder of López's contract could be appealing to a contending team.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Nibert loved the free-thinking spirit of the village and its college.—
Keith BieryGolick,
Cincinnati.com,
28 Aug. 2019
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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
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This summer is likely to be a key point in deciding his future — the two-year mark is usually when clubs either renew a contract or move on a player to maximise possible earnings.—
Gregg Evans,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
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This could be as simple as burning a letter or keeping a small personal memento of the relationship and then deciding to release it.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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