as in explanation
a statement given to explain a belief or act
the rationale for starting the school day an hour later is that kids will supposedly get an extra hour of sleep
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Recent Examples of rationale
The rationale behind Clayface’s appearance emerged in comics of the 1970s, which evolved the character into a scientist with hormone irregularities.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
However, the group No Digital Billboards in San Jose has rejected the city’s rationale for moving forward with the deal, arguing the negative impacts to residents outweigh any prospective benefits and run afoul of the city’s goals.
—Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025
The rationale is that if families had to buy those extra tickets, more of them might drive instead of fly.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
Escobar disputed Bass’ rationale for firing Crowley, saying that an outside investigation into the fire is already underway.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
However, the group No Digital Billboards in San Jose has rejected the city’s rationale for moving forward with the deal, arguing the negative impacts to residents outweigh any prospective benefits and run afoul of the city’s goals.
—Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025
The rationale is that if families had to buy those extra tickets, more of them might drive instead of fly.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
Escobar disputed Bass’ rationale for firing Crowley, saying that an outside investigation into the fire is already underway.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
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The data was added to various modeling scenarios, with the most likely explanation being a triple-body system.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2025
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Providing rational explanations when making proposals or setting boundaries.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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No one suspected the underlying reason: cognitive decline due to early-onset Alzheimer's disease.—
Laura Kwerel,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2025
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This is yet another reason why AI can serve humanity but can never replace people outright.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The pushing back of opening arguments by a week was an acknowledgment by the judge that litigating some of those issues could take additional time.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2025
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For some of those attorneys it's been a challenging week, as judges in several cases have appeared skeptical of the government's arguments.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
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