REASONS Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

reasons 1 of 2

noun

Definition of reasons next

plural of reason

as in explanations

a statement given to explain a belief or act she gave a good reason for her seemingly suspicious behavior

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Relevance

as in motives

something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing a firm belief that we are here on earth to help others is the reason for her tireless volunteer work

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as in excuses

an explanation that frees one from fault or blame what reason do you have for being in such a bad mood?

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as in causes

someone or something responsible for a result what's the meteorological reason for tornadoes?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reasons

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of reason

as in derives

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

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as in argues

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of reasons

Noun

Ex-president Bolsonaro has been serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons since last month, when he was rushed from prison to hospital with bronchopneumonia. —

CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 Instead of litigating to protect the right to vote, the division has focused on demanding unprecedented access to state voter rolls for reasons that remain opaque. —

Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026 Companies have spent billions of dollars rolling out AI across their workforces, but widespread adoption still lags across major economies, and the reasons have been murky. —

Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026 Now, a new generation of gardeners are embracing the victory garden concept and growing fruits and vegetables for very 21st century reasons. —

Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 13 Apr. 2026 What proceeds is an escalating pattern of one-upmanship and sabotage, with each trying to best the other for personal reasons more than professional ones. —

Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026 However, some side hustles favor early risers for a variety of practical reasons. —

Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026 Some consider Basil Hayden to be sort of the entry level whiskey label in the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, and there are some valid reasons for that. —

Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2026 Here are a few beautiful reasons why Southern homes are truly special. —

Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026

Verb

The system reasons underneath, processing infinitely complex 3D scenarios, handling trade clashes, regulations and tradeoffs - learning from user feedback over time to eliminate the need for users to supervise its intelligence. —

Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasons

Noun

As robots became more humanlike, participants’ explanations increasingly framed those neutral colors as industrial or practical.

— Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
The results showed that users preferred a combined approach that included both pre-journey explanations and real-time narration.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Apr. 2026