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
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
And yet the man's made good money for good reason.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026
Caleb Pomeroy, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2025
The best clues, Clay reasoned, were things like context and sentence structure.
—David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reason
Noun
Abe had stepped down as prime minister in 2020 over health reasons.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
And yet the man's made good money for good reason.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Bush’s thinking was even less reasoned.
—Caleb Pomeroy, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2025
The best clues, Clay reasoned, were things like context and sentence structure.
—David Owen, New Yorker, 22 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
-
Authorities did not release additional details about the shooting, including a description of the shooter or a possible motive.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
-
No information was readily available on a suspect or possible motive in the incident as their investigation continued.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The long weekend is the perfect excuse to indulge in a little retail therapy.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Nordstrom is using the long weekend as an excuse to drop more than 12,000 new winter essentials to its sale section.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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
-
Food prices have been top of mind following a year of up and down tariffs and people losing SNAP benefits during the government shutdown amid growing economic concerns.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The shooting at Brown University and the deaths of two students that resulted will remain seared into the minds of Rhode Islanders for some time.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Her reasoning is frustrating, but understandable — her husband (Yao), now a vampire, is taunting her outside, and Remmick has threatened to kill her daughter back in town.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order, as is typical on its emergency docket.—
Michael Casey,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The scientists want to further understand the impact of environmental and social conditions emerging in such livestock behaviors.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
If anything, ChatGPT-3 has something of the oracular about it; for as mysterious as the writing process of any author may be in all sorts of intangible and ineffable ways, any person who works in words also understands what’s prosaic and gritty (and thus all the more beautiful) about writing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reason. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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