rationales

plural of rationale
as in explanations
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rationales For Mary Kay, the latter of these rationales seems to have been clothed in the guise of the former, though the precise catalyst for establishing her own outfit remains indeterminate. Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026 Americans heard much more forthright rationales from generals involved in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026 State legislators have various rationales for getting involved in national security policy. Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026 That, together with preemptive blocking and generalized rationales, suggests that the volunteer community is increasingly prioritizing prevention, efficiency and content quality over efforts to rehabilitate new users. Ryan McGrady, The Conversation, 25 June 2026 Cicero has been my nemesis in this book, for unconscionably grasping for elder power and offering up rationales for doing so repeated over the centuries. Literary Hub, 18 June 2026 Transparency mechanisms such as feature attribution logging and traceable alert rationales are becoming standard components in pharmacy AI platforms. Ethan Stone june 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026 The lawsuit also includes a lot of lengthy rationales that this is cultural appropriation of an Indigenous person that has nothing to do with the legality of Right of Publicity. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 May 2026 Freed from all the entanglements that come with having to launch a ground invasion, air war can overfly not just morality and law but arguments, rationales, the calibration of risks to rewards and of suffering to satisfaction. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationales
Noun
  • Still other explanations presume that the gods’ artistic representations in ritual settings are the basis of the meaning of their multiform appearances.
    Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • At times, his psychological explanations may seem almost too orderly for a woman who lived so exuberantly in disorder.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • This increase happens for two reasons — both tied to the fact that El Niño is characterized by warmer than average ocean temperatures in the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean.
    Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Less than a week after our Zoom conversation with Knapp, an unrelated Good Good collab went viral for all of the wrong reasons.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • In May 2026, oral arguments were held before the Fouth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Opening arguments started last week in the landmark trial against Meta that’s being co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the AGs from Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky.
    Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rationales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationales. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster