as in therefore
for this or that reason
it was getting late, and wherefore we decided to move on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in reason
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing
demanded to know the whys and wherefores for the decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of wherefore
Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Eschewing cheap shots, McBride favors a careful, winding excavation – reaching into history for the whys and wherefores of his novels’ crowded casts, while delivering whopper stories with electric finales.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Oct. 2023
Soccer, though, did not waste time wondering about the whys and wherefores.
—Ahmed Al Omran, New York Times, 13 July 2023
The political whys and wherefores are important — and might be left to another piece.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 May 2023
As in most of Tim and Eric’s sketch humor, there are few whys and wherefores.
—Austin Considine, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020
Julian Fellowes, a master writer who understands so well all the peculiarities of time and place, manners and historical significance of the whys and wherefores of his fictional inhabitants, is to be applauded.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2019
In addition to gleaning the why and wherefore behind America’s foundational document, teenage listeners will meet up with the Declaration of Independence and a roster of seminal Supreme Court decisions.
—Louis Bayard, New York Times, 28 May 2018
The book casts its spell in revealing the whys and wherefores of the killings, as investigated by Burke’s onetime high school classmate, Rob Barrett, a Boston FBI agent whom Burke likes nothing better than to humiliate.
—Lloyd Sachs, chicagotribune.com, 21 May 2018
Adverb
The musicians, especially but not exclusively Jerry Garcia, whose death in 1995 only technically ended the Dead, prove remarkably articulate about the why and wherefore of their music and the group mind that created it.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
But none of those 265 pages of wherefores and whereases on the sports authority website are legally binding.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Eschewing cheap shots, McBride favors a careful, winding excavation – reaching into history for the whys and wherefores of his novels’ crowded casts, while delivering whopper stories with electric finales.
—Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Oct. 2023
Soccer, though, did not waste time wondering about the whys and wherefores.
—Ahmed Al Omran, New York Times, 13 July 2023
The political whys and wherefores are important — and might be left to another piece.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 May 2023
As in most of Tim and Eric’s sketch humor, there are few whys and wherefores.
—Austin Considine, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020
Julian Fellowes, a master writer who understands so well all the peculiarities of time and place, manners and historical significance of the whys and wherefores of his fictional inhabitants, is to be applauded.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2019
In addition to gleaning the why and wherefore behind America’s foundational document, teenage listeners will meet up with the Declaration of Independence and a roster of seminal Supreme Court decisions.
—Louis Bayard, New York Times, 28 May 2018
The book casts its spell in revealing the whys and wherefores of the killings, as investigated by Burke’s onetime high school classmate, Rob Barrett, a Boston FBI agent whom Burke likes nothing better than to humiliate.
—Lloyd Sachs, chicagotribune.com, 21 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wherefore
Adverb
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Vinicius was once again tormented by old nemesis Pablo Maffeo throughout the action, and was therefore heated at full time and caught causing a rumpus in the tunnel.Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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Navarro assumed there was no power and therefore no service.Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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One potential reason for the unexpected extent of sinking identified in the study are vibrations from construction of new adjacent buildings, as high-rises stand on pilings that are often driven 100 to 200 feet into the ground.Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
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In addition to outgoing President Biden and first lady Jill, all are expected to attend except for Michelle Obama, who is skipping the event for unknown reasons.Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 14 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Trendy purses, jeans, and dresses are also chef’s kiss, according to Brittany Mahomes, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mindy Kaling, so keep scrolling to score styles from $17 now.Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
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Lynch’s canon was so tremendous that each of his many fans and acolytes likely had different entry points into it.David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There’s got to be a why.Vulture, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2023
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The show never aims its considerable wit and girl power vibe to get a firm grip on the troubling tributaries that flow just underneath the why-ness of the show: These women, nobility be damned, are one and all inextricably tied to a fundamentally-flawed man.Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 12 Oct. 2022
Adverb
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The short answer is that water molecules absorb much more red light than blue light, owing to the different vibrations of hydrogen and oxygen ions, and thus the water in your pool appears blue.John McPhee, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
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More than 40,000 acres of Southern California has burned thus far.Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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JetBlue has not provided additional details about the passenger's behavior or potential motive.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
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The father of a Virginia toddler who suffered a mysterious bone fracture as a newborn in a Richmond hospital's neonatal intensive care unit says the victims all shared one common trait, even as a motive remains unclear.Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wherefore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wherefore. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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