as in rational
having the ability to reason
judged by the courts not to be a reasoning being who could be held accountable for his crimes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in logic
the thought processes that have been established as leading to valid solutions to problems
your reasoning here is faulty, for although all wives are spouses, not all spouses are wives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in understanding
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 arguing
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 reasoning
JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
The site has a long series of articles and manifestos explaining their reasoning.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Michell was reasoning from Newton’s laws.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
By refusing to specify details of the case, the government keeps the possibility alive of changing their reasoning or their claims to have the same effect for different reasons—just as the mob changes its reasoning for killing Cinna.
—JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
The site has a long series of articles and manifestos explaining their reasoning.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Supreme Court disagreed, reasoning the membership relationship between UNLV and the NCAA didn’t warrant a finding of state action by the NCAA.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Michell was reasoning from Newton’s laws.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
Eggers' stunning visuals and meticulous pace draw viewers into their increasingly desperate mania, gradually wedging open the door between rational interpretation and supernatural inescapability.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The results showed that the chimps’ decisions aligned with rational patterns of belief revision.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the more technical areas of philosophy — logic, especially — there’s enough agreement about what are the core ideas students should know that instruction does largely proceed via textbook.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Nov. 2025
-
All those financial resources enhance the logic behind expensive projects like desalinating seawater and transporting it, desalinating local brackish groundwater or acquiring surplus water from some limited areas in California.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
By better understanding its environment, the robot can more effectively perceive and navigate the cluttered and complex interior of the reactor, avoiding obstacles and locating work areas.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The startup has built a unified real-time orchestration layer that manages all the different things the AI needs to do at once, such as listening, understanding what’s being said, deciding how to respond, checking databases, and delivering an answer.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Wolff sued then, arguing that her claims were the latest of several attempts by the Trumps to bury reporting about their history with the disgraced financier.—
Graph Massara,
semafor.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Several pension funds have come out against the package, arguing that the board of directors is too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches offered too much.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
For the first time, a machine was able to do what only intelligent humans had previously done.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Humans have a much larger neocortex than other animals, relative to body size, and the species with the largest neocortices—elephants, dolphins, gorillas, chimpanzees, dogs—are among the most intelligent.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Part of the reason why there are so few of these conversations about podcasting is a general lack of criticism for narrative audio.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
What's really behind the baby bust The reasons Americans choose not to have children are hotly debated in academic circles, with many attributing America’s baby bust to shifting priorities and societal norms.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The third touchdown is still the most telling, deriving purely from a relationship between quarterback and receiver.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Both sides think more like lawyers than historians, deriving their satisfaction from scoring points as advocates for their respective clients.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One of the Super Bowl contending teams who could be active at the deadline is the Buffalo Bills.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
-
That will be another tough test, as Carolina faces Jordan Love and the potential Super Bowl-contending Green Bay Packers.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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