ratiocination
noun
Did you know?
Edgar Allan Poe is said to have called the 1841 story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" his first "tale of ratiocination." Many today agree with his assessment and consider that Poe classic to be literature's first detective story. Poe didn't actually use ratiocination in "Rue Morgue," but the term does appear three times in its 1842 sequel, "The Mystery of Marie Roget." In "Marie Roget," the author proved his reasoning ability (ratiocination traces to ratio, Latin for "reason" or "computation"). The second tale was based on an actual murder, and as the case unfolded after the publication of Poe's work, it became clear that his fictional detective had done an amazing job of reasoning through the crime.
Examples of ratiocination in a Sentence
Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Dec. 2024
No ratiocination similar to Parker’s point system.
—WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
Once again, using the obtuse ratiocination of her characters, DeWitt aims at nothing less than expanding readerly consciousness, gesturing toward a world of untapped possibility freed from convention.
—Charles Arrowsmith, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2022
At the same time that professional men of science were forming the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Poe was lambasting professionals in favor of splendid amateurism and personal ratiocination.
—Colin Dickey, The New Republic, 21 July 2021
The surface of the table was taken up with all sorts of paraphernalia superfluous, not to say impedimental, to ratiocination.
—Hermione Hoby, New York Times, 1 June 2018
Outside of pure math our powers of ratiocination are overwhelmed by subjective decisions along the chain of propositions.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Ratiocination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ratiocination. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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