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
Whatever the putative rationale, there are only two ways to extract even $10 billion in savings from Medicaid: Strip benefits from the program, or throw enrollees out.
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Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
The rationale for doing so is pretty straightforward.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
To be clear, none of those rationales would likely succeed.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2024
The respective prompts are each followed by a brief explanation for their rationale and inclusion.
—Tor Constantino, Mba, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rationale 
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
The rationale for doing so is pretty straightforward.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
To be clear, none of those rationales would likely succeed.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2024
The respective prompts are each followed by a brief explanation for their rationale and inclusion.
—Tor Constantino, Mba, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rationale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rationale
Noun
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Still, the Selzer poll’s more than 16-percentage-point miss was wide enough that the pollster conceded she had been troubled by it and had racked her brain for explanations.James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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The Pemberton food and retail park in downtown Phoenix abruptly closed without explanation in February after three years.Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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There's a simple reason for that, says author Shahu Patole, a 62-year-old retired civil servant and a Dalit.Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
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In addition to the Chiefs' impressive season — their record currently stands at 12 wins and only one loss — Travis has another big reason to celebrate.Erin Clack, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The legislation is part of a broader push to inject religious teachings into schools and comes as a growing number of Republicans nationally have openly embraced arguments that American politics and culture are rooted in the Christian faith.KACEN BAYLESS THE KANSAS CITY STAR (TNS), arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
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The court was set to hear arguments in December but cancelled the proceeding after Trump’s election win; it has not been rescheduled.Ella Lee, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near rationale
Cite this Entry
“Rationale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rationale. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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