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
  1. 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
    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
  2. adjective
    endowed with the capacity to reason
    synonyms: intelligent, thinking
    rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
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