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
Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
Snyder, for his part, remains confident in his legal reasoning but recognizes the inherent unpredictability of the system.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said last week that the nine justices should do more to explain their reasoning when tackling cases on the emergency docket.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
Part of the reasoning for the intense work schedules is a desire to compete with China amid a global AI race.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Maynard James Keenan is far from the only artist to ban phones at his live shows, and now he’s expanded on the reasoning behind that decision.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
Snyder, for his part, remains confident in his legal reasoning but recognizes the inherent unpredictability of the system.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said last week that the nine justices should do more to explain their reasoning when tackling cases on the emergency docket.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
Part of the reasoning for the intense work schedules is a desire to compete with China amid a global AI race.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
Sir Charlie Mayfield, a stalwart of the UK business community and advisor to Liz Kendall, Work and Pensions Secretary, has recently been quoted in The Times stating that employers have a ‘rational’ fear of hiring disabled staff.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The irony was that Harlem’s numbers queen, a model of rational risk-taking, found herself in a love triangle with a dream-book mystic—then took to the newspapers to denounce Futtam’s obvious impostures.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Meta has added two AI tools to Horizon Worlds: Creator Assistant, which generates interactive 3D elements and logic from prompts, and Style Reference, which creates models matching an existing world’s style.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
The logic is clear: federal funds, institutional oversight, and NCAA membership make universities easier to regulate than high school districts, which are governed by state athletic associations.—
Aaron S. Marks,
Hartford Courant,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Biden administration paid out three rounds of stimulus checks to American households, arguing the move would stimulate the economy and help families get through the emergency.—
Hannah Parry,
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
-
The war in Ukraine is creating high pressure innovation in intelligent drones and swarms.—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
These are dynamic, intelligent, very witty women that can use their words in arguments.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a reason the best legal templates in the startup world are clean, readable, and no more than a few pages long.—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
In 2024, the company laid off about 25 percent of its staff, and Reinhart later disclosed that a penchant for investing in AI was part of the reason for those cuts.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
But the process of cleaning up the charred remnants and deciding the fate of what’s left of the historic building may take years.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
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 20 Aug. 2025.
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