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
Example 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
-
Death by firing squad is considered by some to be the quickest, most instantaneous and therefore least painful way to put a person to death.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 Jan. 2025
-
The former president’s sweeping and even preemptive pardons subvert ongoing legal processes and, therefore, the law.—
Noah Rothman,
National Review,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The reason for the delay, says Goswell, was due to Lush’s lack of experience with electronics.—
Victoria Turk,
WIRED,
26 Jan. 2025
-
One reason for this is that the series was shot on the streets of New York, unusual at the time.—
Glynnis MacNicol,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
But the faults had been so substantial that their weakening pulses propagated in a matter of milliseconds across Whisker Labs’ western network — southeast to Phoenix; north to San Jose, Calif., and Portland, Ore.; east to Las Vegas; and northeast to Salt Lake City.—
Ivan Penn,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Elias Burke Lewandowski and Guirassy lead the scoring charts With eight games played and the league phase over, there is one very familiar name and one that is not so familiar at the top of the scoring charts in this season's competition.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
There’s got to be a why.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Mar. 2023
-
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
-
The central bank strengthens or weakens its currency against a basket of its main trading partners, thus effectively setting the S$NEER.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
24 Jan. 2025
-
According to the dashboard, as of January 2025, the JWST has observed about 111 planets thus far, with plans already in place to observe about 17 others.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The motive was still being investigated Friday, police said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The motive for the attacks remains under investigation.—
Lauren Penington,
The Denver Post,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wherefore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wherefore. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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