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
Tony Jones, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Another wrote, Thank you for letting us, your customers, know the reasoning behind your decisions.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Jan. 2026
At first, decision re-litigation decreases, because the capability preserves reasoning.
—Awaneesh Verma, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
The reasoning to do so is obvious.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Another wrote, Thank you for letting us, your customers, know the reasoning behind your decisions.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals threw out the conviction, reasoning that while Abernethy broke NCAA rules, his conduct didn’t constitute a crime.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Jan. 2026
At first, decision re-litigation decreases, because the capability preserves reasoning.
—Awaneesh Verma, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
If so, please provide the timeline and a comprehensive list of all exhibits under consideration, and the rational for removal.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a rational explanation, Kershaw says, for Skubal pitching just once in the WBC.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Researchers believe the ability to manipulate such nanoscale vortices could eventually support ultracompact devices, potentially shrinking magnetic memory or logic components to unprecedented scales.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
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Spinning off Truth Social following the merger would further fragment an already incoherent corporate structure with no clear strategic logic connecting cryptocurrency, fusion energy, and social media platforms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This phase diagram, a chart showing how a material behaves as variables such as doping or temperature change, is crucial for understanding how superconductivity emerges.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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However, empowerment also means understanding how scammers operate in the real world.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some residents and community groups say conditions around MacArthur Park remain far from resolved, arguing that drug activity and safety concerns persist despite recent enforcement and outreach efforts.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Citadel Securities published a blistering takedown of the Citrini essay, noting, for instance, that demand for software engineers is up 11% year over year, and more broadly arguing that productivity shocks have historically expanded output and raised real incomes.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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An early version of the show was first staged in Seoul in 2015, seven years before the rollout of ChatGPT and the ensuing AI doomsday alarm that platform sparked about the rise of hyper-intelligent robots.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The Manta Ray, which is known to be highly intelligent and the largest ray in the ocean, topped a popular vote two years ago to become Florida State College at Jacksonville's new mascot.—
Beth Reese Cravey,
Florida Times-Union,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And geography proved important when Leroy and Jarzyna looked for reasons why so many bird species are shrinking ever faster.—
Seth Borenstein,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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The reason CrowdStrike shares are down 16% this year, alongside many other enterprise software companies, is that some investors believe that large language models (LLMs), with their rapidly improving capabilities, will one day displace even the best traditional cybersecurity vendors.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The very legitimacy of deriving general principles from the particulars of experience can never be established from experience without already having the principle in hand.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
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Large language models represent the first technology capable of analyzing, contextualizing and deriving insights from this avalanche of information.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But unlike many of their other losses to playoff-contending teams, the Lakers answered Denver’s run.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
On a Stanley Cup-contending team, he’s best served as a third-line driver.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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