- present participle of reason.
noun
-
the act or process of drawing conclusions from facts, evidence, etc
-
the arguments, proofs, etc, so adduced
Other Word 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.
This is not correct, but it’s just false reasoning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Don’t go into any details or overexplain your reasoning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
A few years ago, United started installing them again, reasoning that they would be a differentiator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
This will include a referee's description of why they have given a decision, or the VAR's direct reasoning for why they have not intervened.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The reasoning was this: I simply could not stand what I had become—stale, perhaps, or stalemated by what appeared to be my faltering body.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
