as in explanation
a statement given to explain a belief or act
the rationale for starting the school day an hour later is that kids will supposedly get an extra hour of sleep
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rationale
Part of that rationale included the opinion that retail orders in 2026 could see wholesale orders flowing back to the Nike brand.
—
Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
To them, the administration has failed to lay out its rationale or plan for the military strikes and the aftermath.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2026
In December 2023, the @boycottscream7 Instagram account, a grassroots effort of Scream fans, posted several slides explaining the rationale behind a boycott.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Imposing tariffs under these laws all have stipulations and limitations attached and the administration's rationale could be challenged in court.
—James Doubek, NPR, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
To them, the administration has failed to lay out its rationale or plan for the military strikes and the aftermath.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2026
In December 2023, the @boycottscream7 Instagram account, a grassroots effort of Scream fans, posted several slides explaining the rationale behind a boycott.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Imposing tariffs under these laws all have stipulations and limitations attached and the administration's rationale could be challenged in court.
—James Doubek, NPR, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
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The moody Moon and wary Chiron trine across your talkative 3rd house and your convivial 11th house, guiding your explanations of complex issues.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Do not rely on verbal explanations alone.—
Peter S. Sachs,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And geography proved important when Leroy and Jarzyna looked for reasons why so many bird species are shrinking ever faster.—
Seth Borenstein,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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The reason CrowdStrike shares are down 16% this year, alongside many other enterprise software companies, is that some investors believe that large language models (LLMs), with their rapidly improving capabilities, will one day displace even the best traditional cybersecurity vendors.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On an extensive Reddit thread discussing the court opinion, the argument continued.—
EMILY HEIL THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Until that point, the court just wasn’t buying arguments that the actor was too sick to film.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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