as in explanations
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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Recent Examples of rationales
The lawsuit also includes a lot of lengthy rationales that this is cultural appropriation of an Indigenous person that has nothing to do with the legality of Right of Publicity.
—
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 May 2026
Freed from all the entanglements that come with having to launch a ground invasion, air war can overfly not just morality and law but arguments, rationales, the calibration of risks to rewards and of suffering to satisfaction.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Investors look for reasons to take profits, even though the rationales may have nothing to do with the market action.
—Michael Hiltzik, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Instead, the White House offered frequently shifting rationales for its war and little outreach to the Iranian resistance.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Indeed, that’s one of the main rationales for banks issuing these lifestyle cards.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Among the chief rationales for the lower tax rate on capital gains is to counter the effect of inflation.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, as the military operation continues, the Administration has offered, what appear to be, differing rationales for the initial strikes, prompting further confusion and demands from Congress for answers.
—Tiago Ventura, Time, 10 Mar. 2026
The administration has offered shifting rationales and timelines since the start of the conflict.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 May 2026
Freed from all the entanglements that come with having to launch a ground invasion, air war can overfly not just morality and law but arguments, rationales, the calibration of risks to rewards and of suffering to satisfaction.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Investors look for reasons to take profits, even though the rationales may have nothing to do with the market action.
—Michael Hiltzik, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Instead, the White House offered frequently shifting rationales for its war and little outreach to the Iranian resistance.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Indeed, that’s one of the main rationales for banks issuing these lifestyle cards.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Among the chief rationales for the lower tax rate on capital gains is to counter the effect of inflation.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, as the military operation continues, the Administration has offered, what appear to be, differing rationales for the initial strikes, prompting further confusion and demands from Congress for answers.
—Tiago Ventura, Time, 10 Mar. 2026
The administration has offered shifting rationales and timelines since the start of the conflict.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationales
Noun
-
No need for explanations and convincing.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
Experts stress that there are a variety of possible earthly explanations for such observations, from advanced drone technology to software bugs and instrument issues.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
There are other reasons for sending the frigates, however.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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One of the reasons for prices higher than neighboring states is the Illinois practice of applying sales taxes to the cost of gasoline after the motor fuel tax is charged to motorists.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Some congressional Democrats have offered similar arguments, claiming that a gas tax holiday would be a drop in the bucket for consumers and that the only real way to bring down gas prices is to end the war with Iran.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
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Earthrise rejected Becker’s arguments that the application does not properly identify wetlands that have been farmed.—
Alicia Fabbre,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rationales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationales. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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