1
as in explanation
a statement given to explain a belief or act
she gave a good reason for her seemingly suspicious behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in motive
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing
a firm belief that we are here on earth to help others is the reason for her tireless volunteer work
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in excuse
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
what reason do you have for being in such a bad mood?
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in cause
someone or something responsible for a result
what's the meteorological reason for tornadoes?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in sense
the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems
you'll need to use all of your reason to get out of this tight spot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in mind
the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities
was afraid that with all the stress he was under, he'd lose all reason
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in reasoning
the thought processes that have been established as leading to valid solutions to problems
in a time of national crisis we need to listen to the voice of reason
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to understand
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
she reasoned that since all of the cakes were on sale for the same price, she might as well pick the biggest one
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to argue
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
he tried to reason that no one in their right mind would buy his brother's old video games, but they were put on the online auction anyway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reason
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2026
Even there, the talent chosen had more than a professional reason for being there.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The California Air Resources Board reasoned that an e-bike can replace many shorter car trips for far less money.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reason
Noun
Li brought this up pre-emptively on Thursday, explaining that there’s a reason why their fourth-down conversion percentage (fourth best in the league) is so much higher than their third-down conversion percentage (25th).
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2026
Even there, the talent chosen had more than a professional reason for being there.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
The best clues, Clay reasoned, were things like context and sentence structure.
—David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The California Air Resources Board reasoned that an e-bike can replace many shorter car trips for far less money.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reason
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reason
Noun
-
Certainly not satisfied with official explanations of how this came to pass.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Tyler went on in her response to provide explanations for each of the violations OCPF auditors noted in the disposition.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
No arrests have been announced, nor have police offered any hints for a motive for the killing.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
One person is currently in custody, but details have not been released about the suspect's identity or potential motive.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, potential excuses exist, such as the Tigers’ switch to Daniels, a senior Stanford transfer whose tremendous performance (353 yards passing and two touchdowns, 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns) demands the question of why Freeze didn’t turn the offense over to him weeks ago.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
No excuses, but there were two reasons for wearing it.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The preliminary investigation did not find any obvious signs of trauma on Strother and his cause of death is pending, according to the BCA.—
Mars King,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The officers determined that the woman’s death did not appear to be from natural causes.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So there's really no choice but for the four major conference commissioners to compile a set of rules and guidelines that make at least a marginal bit of sense.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Create a sense of order by clearing those surfaces of holiday-specific decor.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Like, rot-your-mind, hindbrain stimulation, violence/gore/goofy villains-type fun.—
Lily Osler,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
However, the threat to personal safety while attending college can linger in the back of a student’s mind, potentially stoking fear among those who are just trying to earn their education.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Yet correct answers on benchmarks like GSM8K do not necessarily mean the model is actually engaging in mathematical reasoning, study author Mahdi said.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
-
With this reasoning, the Court ruled against Scott and legalized slavery in the territories by overturning the Missouri Compromise.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Even though just three can alert to an emergency, many more are needed to understand what is behind those emergencies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Those specifics aside, more stunningly, researchers discovered that these brave, early explorers of new worlds demonstrated a different way of moving than had been previously understood.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reason. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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