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
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 reasoning
Will Knight, Wired News, 19 May 2026
Their reasoning was that such a thing couldn’t happen in that neighborhood.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there’s no need for it because top state education officials are already handling it.
—Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Through a coding tool called Antigravity, Gemini 3.5 Flash offers frontier coding and reasoning capabilities but is faster and cheaper than the offerings of its competitors, Google says.
—Will Knight, Wired News, 19 May 2026
Their reasoning was that such a thing couldn’t happen in that neighborhood.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Verb
So, purely by reasoning it out, one of those three would seem to be a good candidate to get rid of.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there’s no need for it because top state education officials are already handling it.
—Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
For most of investing history, that discomfort was rational.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
For all the prior cinematic depictions of storming bunkers and camaraderie under fire, Pressure offers us the quiet heroism of rational restraint in the figure of James Stagg, who weathered his inner storms and bore the courage to be disliked.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
While some excel at creative reasoning and coding logic, others may specialize in high-speed data extraction.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Overseas investment reflects portfolio diversification logic, technology access strategy, and diplomatic influence-building, all of which long predate the current energy crisis induced by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Alyson Shontell,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Wanting to move forward is natural, but part of being in a relationship with a parent is understanding that children set the timeline, not the adults’ feelings.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
The original Luddites are worth understanding correctly before invoking them.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Russia warns of major Kyiv attacks The Kremlin urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, warning of a major forthcoming attack, with analysts arguing that Russia is losing momentum in its war on Ukraine.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
-
The men were arguing about a conflict that their children were having, the mother told the TV station.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
When the heavy lifting of data synthesis and standard analysis is supported by intelligent systems, workers are free to elevate their thinking.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Accelerating technological innovation Beyond software development, BYD is also investing heavily in the underlying hardware required for intelligent vehicles.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s a good reason that rooms come with binoculars because there is almost too much action to scope.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
That depth was part of the reason the 2001-02 Kings went 61-21 and took the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
But deriving a unified theory of volcanism will require a geologic Manhattan Project.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
On Thursday, a jury found Geisy Rodriguez Brito, 33, of Royal Palm Beach, guilty of human trafficking and unlawful use of a two-way communications device but not guilty of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution or witness tampering.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In court, the city had argued for a much smaller damages award, contending some members of the plaintiff class paid their citations so late that proper notification by the city wouldn’t have mattered.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
However, some scientists, including climate scientist James Hansen, say the heat and the warming ocean temperatures could leave 2026 contending for the new warmest year on record.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
