adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reasoned
Explanation
Anything that's sensible or thoughtful can be described as reasoned. A reasoned decision about which candidate to vote for requires some research and careful thought. You probably assume that most rulings made by judges are reasoned — they're logical and intelligent. If you have a friend who tends to act in an irrational or foolish way when he's upset, you also assume that in certain circumstances his decisions won't be reasoned. The adjective reasoned comes from reason, from the Old French raisoner, "speak, discuss, or argue."
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.
The researchers reasoned that nanoparticles could be separated from the reaction mixture through centrifugation, which could make it easier to recover the DNA afterward.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
Carriers reasoned that most passengers brought their own phones and tablets anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"It is possible to say that more could have been done, but there was a serious risk of financial meltdown," Tombs reasoned.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
And she reasoned, very simply, that the way her children were being held was involuntary servitude and that under this new law, they should be freed.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Which would take many months, given the shortness of Cassiopeia’s legs,” she reasoned.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
