noun
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the act or process of drawing conclusions from facts, evidence, etc
-
the arguments, proofs, etc, so adduced
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of reasoning
First recorded in 1325–75, reasoning is from the Middle English word resoninge. See reason, -ing 2
Explanation
Reasoning is a logical, thoughtful way of thinking. When your teacher explains the reasoning behind his classroom rules, he makes it clear exactly why and how he came up with them. Voters often want to understand the reasoning behind certain laws, and toddlers almost always want to know the reasoning behind rules about bedtime and wearing warm clothes on cold days. You can also use reasoning as an adjective, to describe someone who can think logically. A reasoning adult can make decisions for herself. The word comes from reason, which is rooted in the Old French raisoner, "discuss or argue," and the Late Latin rationare, "to discourse."
Vocabulary lists containing reasoning
Argumentative Writing
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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The AP English Exam: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reasoning is only as reliable as its inputs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Reasoning models with greater context-, image- and video-generation capabilities and the adoption of AI agents require more memory than previous AI models, Kim noted.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026
Reasoning models, which explain their output in multiple steps, are even more demanding, she adds.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
"Reasoning models can consume 100x more compute. Future reasoning can consume much more compute," said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on a company earnings call on Thursday, attempting to calm investor fears about DeepSeek's impact.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2025
I was imagining a Chain of Reasoning inside my head which was like this 1.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
