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
Clearly articulate the rationale of the study to align goals and manage expectations early.
—
Sujay Jadhav, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
The rationale for the goods’ rejection wasn’t clear.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
And activists on both sides of the equation are warning about an impending constitutional crisis, although their rationales are very different.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Administration officials have been using that rationale to pressure schools to institute wide policy changes that university officials say infringe on free speech and their academic missions.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Sujay Jadhav, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
The rationale for the goods’ rejection wasn’t clear.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
And activists on both sides of the equation are warning about an impending constitutional crisis, although their rationales are very different.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Administration officials have been using that rationale to pressure schools to institute wide policy changes that university officials say infringe on free speech and their academic missions.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
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Unless Troops Deployed Other explanations for the declining employment opportunities for white men could lie in troubles in some industries that employ more white men than white women, for example.—
Christian Weller,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Perhaps the best explanation for some of the problems with the rerecordings is that Swift was rushing through them.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Or maybe, for a million reasons, your recent expectations of how family life should be are not aligned with reality.—
Denise Snodell,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2025
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Martino abruptly resigned due to personal reasons and Miami hired Messi’s long-time friend and former Barcelona and Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano as head coach.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
Noun
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But Circuit Judge John Jordan issued an 18-page decision that rejected the arguments.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
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June 26: The Supreme Court upholds parts of the ban and schedules oral arguments for October.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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