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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rationale
There’s always some rationale for red ink spending in Sacramento.
—
George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
As the barriers to measuring human variation fall, so does the rationale for a one-size-fits-all model.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Trump, explaining the rationale for his action, rattled off statistics about education failures in America.
—Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
This connection helps form a proactive trust, where leaders openly share their thoughts, decisions and rationale with employees in a very inclusive way, with humility and passion.
—Edward Deangelis, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2025
As the barriers to measuring human variation fall, so does the rationale for a one-size-fits-all model.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Trump, explaining the rationale for his action, rattled off statistics about education failures in America.
—Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
This connection helps form a proactive trust, where leaders openly share their thoughts, decisions and rationale with employees in a very inclusive way, with humility and passion.
—Edward Deangelis, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
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Entertainment Fans of the show on social media seem to be missing a lot of crucial character development, and there’s an obvious explanation why.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
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These free, printable cards are available at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and display a brief explanation of citizen and non-citizen rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This relationship focus is another reason why some financial institutions may not be tempted by the pools of CRE loans on the market.—
Sam Sidhu,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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There’s a reason why countless stars are spotted in matching sets.—
Nicol Natale,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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No argument, but the Toronto Bridesmaids — er, Blue Jays — didn’t have much of a choice with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The loss of Guerrero — a native Canadian, homegrown talent and franchise pillar — would have devastated the Jays.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
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The argument challenges a precedent set in the 1930s in a case called Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which stopped President Franklin D. Roosevelt from firing someone on the Federal Trade Commission who had similar job protections to Wilcox and Harris.—
Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY and Jonathan Stempel and Daniel Wiessner, Reuters,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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