as in explanation
a statement given to explain a belief or act the rationale for starting the school day an hour later is that kids will supposedly get an extra hour of sleep

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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 rationale None of this was any more convincing than the rationale for rejecting the Telnaes cartoon. Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 Under that rationale, law firms that had diversity scholarships limited to underrepresented minorities wouldn’t be allowed to restrict the qualifications to achieve the intended goal, Brown said. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025 Anyone who has watched Laughton through his 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers can see some of the rationale: Laughton’s two-way game is full of energy and bite. Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025 Wells Fargo declined to comment on the rationale behind its departure from the NZBA. Joseph Winters, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
  • The economists run through various explanations for the productivity surge and then knock down most of them.
    Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Exaggerated achievements or vague explanations about past roles are warning signs.
    Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Those types of metrics are part of the reason Knoblauch is advocating for Draisaitl to win the Selke Trophy to go along with a strong Hart case.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The Fire were without standout striker Mallory Swanson, out for personal reasons.
    Theo Lloyd-Hughes, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The pushing back of opening arguments by a week was an acknowledgment by the judge that litigating some of those issues could take additional time.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
  • For some of those attorneys it's been a challenging week, as judges in several cases have appeared skeptical of the government's arguments.
    Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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