logic
the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference.
a particular method of reasoning or argumentation: We were unable to follow his logic.
the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study.
reason or sound judgment, as in utterances or actions: There wasn't much logic in her move.
convincing forcefulness; inexorable truth or persuasiveness: the irresistible logic of the facts.
Computers. logic circuit.
Origin of logic
1Other words for logic
Other words from logic
- log·ic·less, adjective
- non·log·ic, noun
Words Nearby logic
Other definitions for -logic (2 of 2)
a combining form used in the formation of adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -logy: analogic.
Origin of -logic
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use logic in a sentence
For retail investors, the logic behind buying shares solely based on the announcement of a stock split rests on a shaky foundation.
Investors riding high on Apple and Tesla stock splits could get clipped, data shows | rhhackettfortune | August 31, 2020 | FortuneSAT solving involves taking problems, turning them into computer-friendly statements that use propositional logic, and using computers to determine whether there’s a way to make those statements true.
Computer Scientists Attempt to Corner the Collatz Conjecture | Kevin Hartnett | August 26, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThey’ve developed a system of proteins that can carry out logic operations just like a computer, which helps them target specific combinations of antigens that are unique to certain cancers.
Scientists Used Protein Switches to Turn T-Cells Into Cancer-Fighting Guided Missiles | Edd Gent | August 24, 2020 | Singularity HubHowever, behind the smartest social media algorithms are solid logic and good intentions.
How to optimize for the Instagram algorithm in 2020 | Julia Miashkova | August 19, 2020 | Search Engine WatchTo turn the search for cliques into a problem that computers can grapple with, you need a representation of the problem that uses propositional logic.
Computer Search Settles 90-Year-Old Math Problem | Kevin Hartnett | August 19, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Their logic: the sea-creature would come alive and drink up any remaining alcohol.
The birds will seek us out and they will use no logic we know.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKim Novak's heavy legs were concealed and all logic left on the cutting room floor.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis came across in the Showtime Omit the logic documentary—in which you were a commentator—and it comes across here.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America | David Yaffe, Scott Saul | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was a logic to it – many of the wines were from the Pacific Northwest, principally from Oregon and Washington state.
You may say, in the case of Sikes and the peer, that the logic of the Determinist is sound, but ineffective: nothing comes of it.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordMr. Ripper's logic tended to the belief that he could not be punished if he stuck to the avowal of having seen nothing.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodWe thought pursuit had long been abandoned, but they are driven by single-minded hate, not by logic.
Valley of the Croen | Lee TarbellBy what strange logic do they decide that a thing can not fail to happen because they ardently desire it to happen?
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean MeslierHer resentment of that undermined all the fairness of her logic, and even triumphed over the sword of her suspense.
Hilda | Sarah Jeanette Duncan
British Dictionary definitions for logic
/ (ˈlɒdʒɪk) /
the branch of philosophy concerned with analysing the patterns of reasoning by which a conclusion is properly drawn from a set of premises, without reference to meaning or context: See also formal logic, deduction (def. 4), induction (def. 4)
any particular formal system in which are defined axioms and rules of inference: Compare formal system, formal language
the system and principles of reasoning used in a specific field of study
a particular method of argument or reasoning
force or effectiveness in argument or dispute
reasoned thought or argument, as distinguished from irrationality
the relationship and interdependence of a series of events, facts, etc
chop logic to use excessively subtle or involved logic or argument
electronics computing
the principles underlying the units in a computer system that perform arithmetical and logical operations: See also logic circuit
(as modifier): a logic element
Origin of logic
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for logic
[ lŏj′ĭk ]
The study of the principles of reasoning, especially of the structure of propositions as distinguished from their content and of method and validity in deductive reasoning.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for logic
The branch of philosophy dealing with the principles of reasoning. Classical logic, as taught in ancient Greece and Rome, systematized rules for deduction. The modern scientific and philosophical logic of deduction has become closely allied to mathematics, especially in showing how the foundations of mathematics lie in logic.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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