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
Christopher Marquis, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The result can sound like causal reasoning, but the process behind it is pattern completion, not an understanding of how events actually produce outcomes in the world.
—Walter Quattrociocchi, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Awaneesh Verma, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
The lab specializes in embodied AI—systems that integrate sensing, learning, and reasoning to make decisions in the physical world.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Quoting some famous ones on either side of the issue makes for a good headline—but bad reasoning.
—Christopher Marquis, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The result can sound like causal reasoning, but the process behind it is pattern completion, not an understanding of how events actually produce outcomes in the world.
—Walter Quattrociocchi, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
At first, decision re-litigation decreases, because the capability preserves reasoning.
—Awaneesh Verma, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
The lab specializes in embodied AI—systems that integrate sensing, learning, and reasoning to make decisions in the physical world.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
Unlike the city of Poway, which favors hitching posts over parking meters, San Diego has elected to ignore all rational analyses of parking fee options, in favor of looking at parking as a cash cow.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In 2026, China’s luxury sector is more selective, rational, and emotionally discerning than ever.—
Yiling Pan,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Identification requires letting Chinese cultural logic influence the structure of a campaign — not just its visuals or celebrity cast.—
Yiling Pan,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The one non-rational actor is the human being, who often follows emotions rather than logic.—
Roger Van Zanen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An easy place to start is by understanding warm and cool colors, which have different attributes.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Hetzel’s contributions to the documentation and preservation of Imperial County history cannot be understated, acting as a valuable resource into understanding the truth of county infrastructure, development and industry.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The group sued top Missouri state officials and lawmakers in October, arguing the ballot measure, called Amendment 4, misled voters by burying its true intent — the direct democracy overhaul — under other bullet points.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
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The government defended the tariffs as legitimate responses to national security concerns and unfair trade practices, arguing that Congress had clearly intended to give presidents latitude to act swiftly.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Its intelligent brake and reverse (iBR) system adds specific control when slowing down or maneuvering around objects or when docking, along with different ride modes that let the rider chill (or sharpen) the throttle response depending on conditions.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
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On Friday, the company plans to shutter its GPT-4o model — widely considered the most emotionally intelligent on the market, and often used for individuals’ companions.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Lawmakers in New Mexico also cited the intense immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota as a reason to limit cooperation with ICE.—
David A. Lieb,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
While Western thought often separates the two, in Chinese culture, emotion and reason are more deeply intertwined.—
Precious Adesina,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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 the up and down, fluctuating tariffs around the world spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
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Instead of struggling to get off the ground, the Lawrenceville school’s basketball teams are contending for first place and aspiring for a shot to reach the national tournament.—
Stan Awtrey,
AJC.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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