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
ABC News, 19 May 2026
The hearing also touched on the resignation of Treasury Department General Counsel Brian Morrissey, which has been reported as lined to the fund’s creation, though CNBC has not confirmed the reason.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s one of a number of cases in the paper where the researchers tried to reason backward about what the model was doing based on its output.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reason
Noun
Part of the reason for such a large decline is that many Americans were auto-renewed in their plans from last year, Cox said.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The hearing also touched on the resignation of Treasury Department General Counsel Brian Morrissey, which has been reported as lined to the fund’s creation, though CNBC has not confirmed the reason.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Verb
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there’s no need for it because top state education officials are already handling it.
—Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s one of a number of cases in the paper where the researchers tried to reason backward about what the model was doing based on its output.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reason
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reason
Noun
-
Professional commentators tended to see these developments in so many local terms—turning, for their explanations, to national histories, cultures and institutions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Arthur was taken back to the doctor two additional times in the ensuing weeks and was given various explanations about his condition, including asthma and even anxiety.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Attack being investigated as hate crime Authorities vowed to get to the bottom of the motive behind the attack.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
Police have not released a specific motive for the shooting the suspect's name.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
His excuses ranged from being too cold, to not having his phone or watch on him, to being a chill person who doesn’t like to show up early to the tee.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
So there’s no excuse not to finalize this deal promptly regardless of whether that induces a hissy fit from United Here and the Chicago Federation of Labor.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Hicks' cause of death was asphyxiation and his manner of death was ruled a suicide.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
But Thursday night also did little to help Steyer’s cause — or hurt it.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
That wouldn't have made sense if Rodgers weren't on the team.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
-
What doesn’t make sense is why the same amenity is not available at the airport in West Palm Beach.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Instead, the seductive peacefulness of the house brought to her mind the contemplative sets in the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Keep in mind that the Nomadix is essentially only an off-road e-moto, as it is not yet homologated for street riding.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Sophisticated as chatbots’ responses may be, they are stitched together from statistical patterns in large datasets—an impressive trick but one that still falls short of the breadth and reliability in human-level clinical reasoning.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
Here’s the reasoning behind those picks.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Constant said families should be able to look several years ahead and understand whether their children are likely to have transfer opportunities available.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
-
Van de Peer and his colleagues wanted to understand what accounts for the abundance of modern polyploidy and the seeming relative scarcity of it long ago.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reason. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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