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
William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Want more on our 2026 Oscar Predictions and the reasoning behind them?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
But in 1970, the Supreme Court did away with the requirement, reasoning that trial courts should have leeway to call in fewer members of the community for jury service.
—Time, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
The reasoning for the policy change that Cameron cited in her memo was that staff needed to be physically present on campus to be more responsive to student needs and to help support faculty.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Want more on our 2026 Oscar Predictions and the reasoning behind them?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
But in 1970, the Supreme Court did away with the requirement, reasoning that trial courts should have leeway to call in fewer members of the community for jury service.
—Time, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
Anyone who has made an impulsive decision in a moment of intense emotion knows that feelings shape our choices just as much as rational thought.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
There was no rational administration.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The logic is capital-efficient.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
There is a logic, and this logic has a name.—
M. Gessen,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In school, Yoneifer was learning English fast, understanding basic expressions and responding in Spanish, his mom says.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The bottom line, though, is about understanding your teen and how this trend is affecting them, rather than fighting back against the trend for the sake of it.—
Jana Pollack,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were represented by two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors on Bragg’s case earlier this week urged the presiding judge to schedule trial to begin in July, before the federal case makes it before a jury, arguing local authorities first investigated and charged Mangione and should get to try him first.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Its intelligent navigation helps ensure effective coverage, while the real-time self-cleaning system helps maintain a cleaner roller with each pass.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
-
According to Charles Darwin, survival belongs not to the strongest species, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The internet and Black art triggered awe for completely different, profound reasons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
One reason is a viral video that shows Pretti standing over the body of a veteran who died and honoring his service.—
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Resolve this by walking your own path (literally) and deriving support from people who are capable of caring about you.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Campillo objected to that rationale, contending residents of nearby cities shouldn’t be treated the same as tourists or characterized as rich freeloaders for visiting Balboa Park as non-residents of San Diego.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
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That’s when Haliburton will be back and the team’s goal will be contending.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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