reasoning

noun

rea·​son·​ing ˈrēz-niŋ 

ˈrē-zᵊn-iŋ

1

: the use of reason

especially : the drawing of inferences or conclusions through the use of reason

2

: an instance of the use of reason : argument

Synonyms

• logic
• reason

Examples of reasoning in a Sentence

Could you explain your reasoning?

They told everyone the reasoning behind the decision.

a conclusion based on fallacious reasoning

Humans possess the power of reasoning.

Recent Examples on the Web

On Tuesday, her lawyer hit back at the president's reasoning for dismissing her, while almost 600 economists signed an open letter warning that her potential firing threatened the Fed's independence from government. —Sean Conlon,john Melloy,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025

In its post announcing the upcoming roll out of parental controls, OpenAI also shared plans to route sensitive inquiries to a model of their chatbot that spends a longer time reasoning and looking through context before responding to prompts. —Solcyré Burga, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

Working memory is the ability to hold information needed to accomplish complex mental tasks such as learning, reasoning and problem-solving. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Rao agrees with that reasoning. —Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reasoning

• line of reasoning

Rhymes for reasoning

• seasoning

Kids Definition

reasoning

noun

rea·​son·​ing

1

: the use of reason

2

: the reasons used in and the proofs that result from thought : argument