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whys

noun

plural of why
1
as in reasons
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing asked the whys behind the surprising decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in mysteries
something hard to understand or explain how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whys
  1. reasons
  2. mysteries
  3. motives
Noun
  • But that also has disastrous consequences, for different reasons.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Catcher Caden Bodine had plenty of reasons to be excited about how his first season in the Rays organization went, following a December trade from Baltimore.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of reasons
Noun
  • Nature, loss, and longing inspire these quiet verses, which conjure a sense of the immense mysteries governing the observable world.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • All this time later, the horse was never found, no one's been arrested, and one of sport's great unsolved mysteries has never moved beyond cold case status.
    — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of mysteries
Noun
  • By 2008, everyone had grown a lot more suspicious about Washington’s motives for its Global War on Terrorism.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, also received three years of supervised release with orders to avoid contact with Omar, after admitting the assault but struggling to explain his motives.
    — Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of motives
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.

Browse Nearby Words

why
whys
wicked
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Cite this Entry

“Whys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whys. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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