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
Big Think, 30 Apr. 2026
The reasoning here seems to be that, prior to the last common ancestor of life on Earth, organisms experimented with various genetic codes and probably used a mix of proteins and catalytic RNAs to run their metabolisms.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
While coding has brought reasoning capabilities to a different level, Dai believes that models still can’t handle major decisions on how to make lighter cars or more efficient rockets.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Noun
Here’s the reasoning behind Pluto’s changing status.
—Big Think, 30 Apr. 2026
The reasoning here seems to be that, prior to the last common ancestor of life on Earth, organisms experimented with various genetic codes and probably used a mix of proteins and catalytic RNAs to run their metabolisms.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
The company is working to improve safety and reasoning through benchmarks that guide how robots should behave in real-world scenarios.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
While coding has brought reasoning capabilities to a different level, Dai believes that models still can’t handle major decisions on how to make lighter cars or more efficient rockets.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reasoning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reasoning
Adjective
-
Evans and his backers were rational actors inside an irrational system.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 May 2026
-
By any rational examination, there are more people on Rikers than need to be for public safety.—
Jonathan Lippman,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the world of Kirkslop, there are no limits, or logic, to whom Kirk can or cannot be.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The same logic applies here, at the trading layer rather than the payments layer.—
Bob Diamond,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The lack of physical evidence presents significant challenges for the field of paleontology in understanding species diversification at specific times and places on Earth.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
In practice, this looks like a provider not only asking about symptoms, but understanding context.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
DeSantis is arguing that Florida’s significant growth over the past few years merits a redraw of the state’s congressional boundaries.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
On homelessness, Steyer wants to expand interim housing options with services, arguing the state has focused too much on building permanent housing for the homeless that is too costly and takes too long to open.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Cold, calculating and highly intelligent, Dedra saw the rebellion coming when none of her other peers did.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
Here, intelligent driving features are ubiquitous, even in affordable models.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The assassination attempt failed — and Hinckley was arrested, tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
McCollum’s line was one of the biggest reasons the game never got complicated.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The very legitimacy of deriving general principles from the particulars of experience can never be established from experience without already having the principle in hand.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Medicaid advocates say that many eligible people could lose coverage, contending that Nebraska officials haven’t given enrollees enough advance notice or clear guidance on how the process works.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
-
Coyne disagreed, contending the city needs new revenue like the money that would come from the empty homes tax, which would tax people who own a home but don’t live in it.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reasoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reasoning. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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