reasoning

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."

Definitions of reasoning

noun
thinking that is coherent and logical

synonyms: abstract thought, logical thinking

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types:
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analysis, analytic thinking
the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations

argument, argumentation, line, line of reasoning, logical argument
a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning

conjecture
reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence

deduction, deductive reasoning, synthesis
reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect)

illation, inference
the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation

anticipation, prediction, prevision
the act of predicting (as by reasoning about the future)

ratiocination
logical and methodical reasoning

reasoning backward, regress
the reasoning involved when you assume the conclusion is true and reason backward to the evidence

synthesis, synthetic thinking
the combination of ideas into a complex whole

line of inquiry, line of questioning
an ordering of questions so as to develop a particular argument

projection
a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations

prognostication, prophecy, vaticination
knowledge of the future (usually said to be obtained from a divine source)

adumbration, foreshadowing, prefiguration
the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand

syllogism
deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises

theorisation, theorization
the production or use of theories

supposal, supposition
the cognitive process of supposing

analogy
an inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others

corollary
(logic) an inference that follows directly from the proof of another proposition

derivation
a line of reasoning that shows how a conclusion follows logically from accepted propositions

deduction, entailment, implication, inference
something that is inferred (deduced or entailed or implied)

extrapolation
an inference about the future (or about some hypothetical situation) based on known facts and observations

presumption
(law) an inference of the truth of a fact from other facts proved or admitted or judicially noticed

breakdown, partitioning
an analysis into mutually exclusive categories

cost-benefit analysis
an analysis of the cost effectiveness of different alternatives in order to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs

dissection
a minute and critical analysis

elimination, reasoning by elimination
analysis of a problem into alternative possibilities followed by the systematic rejection of unacceptable alternatives

reductionism
the analysis of complex things into simpler constituents

systems analysis
analysis of all aspects of a project along with ways to collect information about the operation of its parts

trend analysis
analysis of changes over time

casuistry
argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading

policy
a line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government

type of:
cerebration, intellection, mentation, thinking, thought, thought process
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
adjective
endowed with the capacity to reason

synonyms: intelligent, thinking

rational
consistent with or based on or using reason