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
Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The reasoning is simple: The Chiefs need to replenish this aspect of their defense, and the talent level in this year’s draft class is deep at those positions.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2025
Actively initiating a search for information on the web may not weaken your reasoning skills.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller echoed the same reasoning for the father's deportation, according to the nonprofit.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Conservatives, such as Hawley, Senator Tom Cotton, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have criticized surrendering civic reasoning to markets and called for a capitalism that enlists markets to serve families, not the other way around.
—Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The reasoning is simple: The Chiefs need to replenish this aspect of their defense, and the talent level in this year’s draft class is deep at those positions.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2025
Actively initiating a search for information on the web may not weaken your reasoning skills.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller echoed the same reasoning for the father's deportation, according to the nonprofit.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
The economic idea that people are purely rational, self-serving beings has been undermined by broad research over decades into psychology and behavioral economics.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Listening to constituents, stakeholders, and community input to make our voices heard at the Council while balancing competing interests of other council members to bring rational discussion and mutual understanding to move ALL of Fort Worth Forward.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Bigger seems definitely to be better these days, and that is certainly the logic that drives Stranger Things, a show that proceeds at fever pitch and never lets up.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Certainty can be an illusion, especially when the logic at the heart of players’ arguments against ELC is that their eyes can track a small, yellow object moving at over 100mph better than a system designed to do only this.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
However, some Democrats, including Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, suggested the backlash was overblown, arguing that public opinion is shifting in favor of restrictions on transgender athletes.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The president justified his decision by arguing that all three of the nations were not doing enough to curb the influx of drugs, specifically fentanyl, coming into the United States.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Talos, Pandora and other artificially intelligent entities had already set the stage for humans to explore this idea.—
Sofia Giannuzzi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Yes, Love Hotel might be Bravo’s most emotionally intelligent experiment yet.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The reason for the increase in the Tigers’ team score came after a review of Mizzou’s third rotation — balance beam.—
Henry Chappell,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The path is similar this time around, and Tampa Bay is coming off a resounding 40-17 victory over the playoff-contending Los Angeles Chargers.—
Associated Pess,
Orlando Sentinel,
22 Dec. 2024
-
Against this backdrop, the remainder of López's contract could be appealing to a contending team.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Nibert loved the free-thinking spirit of the village and its college.—
Keith BieryGolick,
Cincinnati.com,
28 Aug. 2019
-
Credit Gus Malzahn for being proactive and thinking long-term in choosing his starting quarterback.—
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com,
al,
22 Aug. 2019
Verb
-
With so many cruise lines and many more ships, deciding which cruise to book for your family’s next vacation can feel daunting.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2025
-
There are several considerations when deciding where to live and retire.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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