Meaning of "reason" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD REASON

From Old French reisun, from Latin ratiō reckoning, from rērī to think.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF REASON

reason  [ˈriːzən]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF REASON

Reason is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb reason in English.

WHAT DOES REASON MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Reason

Reason is the capacity for consciously making sense of things, applying logic, for establishing and verifying facts, and changing or justifying practices, institutions, and beliefs based on new or existing information. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics, and art, and is normally considered to be a definitive characteristic of human nature. The concept of reason is sometimes referred to as rationality and sometimes as discursive reason, in opposition to intuitive reason. Reason or "reasoning" is associated with thinking, cognition, and intellect. Reason, like habit or intuition, is one of the ways by which thinking comes from one idea to a related idea. For example, it is the means by which rational beings understand themselves to think about cause and effect, truth and falsehood, and what is good or bad. It is also closely identified with the ability to self-consciously change beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and institutions, and therefore with the capacity for freedom and self-determination.

Definition of reason in the English dictionary

The first definition of reason in the dictionary is the faculty of rational argument, deduction, judgment, etc. Other definition of reason is sound mind; sanity. Reason is also a cause or motive, as for a belief, action, etc.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO REASON

PRESENT

Present

I reason

you reason

he/she/it reasons

we reason

you reason

they reason

Present continuous

I am reasoning

you are reasoning

he/she/it is reasoning

we are reasoning

you are reasoning

they are reasoning

Present perfect

I have reasoned

you have reasoned

he/she/it has reasoned

we have reasoned

you have reasoned

they have reasoned

Present perfect continuous

I have been reasoning

you have been reasoning

he/she/it has been reasoning

we have been reasoning

you have been reasoning

they have been reasoning

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I reasoned

you reasoned

he/she/it reasoned

we reasoned

you reasoned

they reasoned

Past continuous

I was reasoning

you were reasoning

he/she/it was reasoning

we were reasoning

you were reasoning

they were reasoning

Past perfect

I had reasoned

you had reasoned

he/she/it had reasoned

we had reasoned

you had reasoned

they had reasoned

Past perfect continuous

I had been reasoning

you had been reasoning

he/she/it had been reasoning

we had been reasoning

you had been reasoning

they had been reasoning

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will reason

you will reason

he/she/it will reason

we will reason

you will reason

they will reason

Future continuous

I will be reasoning

you will be reasoning

he/she/it will be reasoning

we will be reasoning

you will be reasoning

they will be reasoning

Future perfect

I will have reasoned

you will have reasoned

he/she/it will have reasoned

we will have reasoned

you will have reasoned

they will have reasoned

Future perfect continuous

I will have been reasoning

you will have been reasoning

he/she/it will have been reasoning

we will have been reasoning

you will have been reasoning

they will have been reasoning

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would reason

you would reason

he/she/it would reason

we would reason

you would reason

they would reason

Conditional continuous

I would be reasoning

you would be reasoning

he/she/it would be reasoning

we would be reasoning

you would be reasoning

they would be reasoning

Conditional perfect

I would have reason

you would have reason

he/she/it would have reason

we would have reason

you would have reason

they would have reason

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been reasoning

you would have been reasoning

he/she/it would have been reasoning

we would have been reasoning

you would have been reasoning

they would have been reasoning

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you reason
we let´s reason
you reason

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to reason

Past participle

reasoned

Present Participle

reasoning

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «REASON»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «reason» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of reason

aim · apologia · apology · apprehension · argument · basis · brains · case · cause · comprehension · conclude · deduce · defence · design · end · excuse · explanation · exposition · goal · grounds · impetus · incentive · inducement · infer · intellect · intention · judgment · justification · logic · make out · mentality · mind · motive · object · occasion · purpose · ratiocinate · ratiocination · rationale · rationality · reasoning · resolve · sanity · sense · solve · soundness · syllogize · target · think · understanding · vindication · warrant · work out

TRANSLATION OF REASON

Find out the translation of reason to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of reason from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «reason» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 理由
• Translator English - Spanish: razón
• English: reason
• Translator English - Hindi: कारण
• Translator English - Arabic: سَبَب
• Translator English - Russian: причина
• Translator English - Portuguese: razão
• Translator English - Bengali: কারণ
• Translator English - French: raison
• Translator English - Malay: Sebab
• Translator English - German: Beweggrund
• Translator English - Japanese: 理由
• Translator English - Korean: 이유
• Translator English - Javanese: Alesan
• Translator English - Vietnamese: lý do
• Translator English - Tamil: காரணம்
• Translator English - Marathi: कारण
• Translator English - Turkish: neden
• Translator English - Italian: ragione
• Translator English - Polish: powód
• Translator English - Ukrainian: причина
• Translator English - Romanian: motiv
• Translator English - Greek: αιτία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: rede
• Translator English - Swedish: orsak
• Translator English - Norwegian: årsak

10 QUOTES WITH «REASON»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word reason.

1

Edward Abbey

There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.

2

Scott Adams

Women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently.

3

Laz Alonso

I like speed, so I like taking the jet skis out and hitting the water, or hitting the lake. In the winter, unfortunately, I used to ski a lot but I haven't been able to ski in the past few years because thank God I've been working, so that's a good reason not to.

4

Jean Anouilh

Tragedy is restful: and the reason is that hope, that foul, deceitful thing, has no part in it.

5

Edward Bach

The main reason for the failure of the modern medical science is that it is dealing with results and not causes. Nothing more than the patching up of those attacked and the burying of those who are slain, without a thought being given to the real strong hold.

6

Bob Buckhorn

People who want to express themselves need to be given an opportunity. For me, it's a very fundamental premise: you break the law, you're going to jail. Absent that, you're entitled to say whatever you want to say within reason.

7

Robert Byrne

One reason people get divorced is that they run out of gift ideas.

8

Billy Campbell

I've done some things that have been quite interesting, but as grateful as I am for having been on 'Dynasty,' it was just so cheesy. That's half the reason it was so much fun for people to watch, but it's not so fun to have to say those lines.

9

Park Chan-wook

The reason I want to show shocking things is that they always pose an ethical question.

10

Steven Curtis Chapman

Cars are the reason we, you know, people live or die.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «REASON»

Discover the use of reason in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to reason and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Human Error

This 1991 book is a major theoretical integration of several previously isolated literatures looking at human error in major accidents.

James Reason, 1990

Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out

Research indicates that everyone has a happiness set-point. No matter what happens to a person, they will tend to return to a set range of happiness. This book shows how you can actually reprogram your set-point to a higher level.

Marci Shimoff, 2009

Humanitarian Reason: A Moral History of the Present

Studies primarily France with shorter sections on South Africa, Venezuela, and Palestine.

Didier Fassin, 2012

A Critique of Postcolonial Reason: Toward a History of the ...

The book addresses feminists, philosophers, critics, and interventionist intellectuals, as they unite and divide. It ranges from Kant's analytic of the sublime to child labor in Bangladesh.

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, 1999

Constructions of Reason: Explorations of Kant's Practical ...

This book traces the alleged incoherences to attempts to assimilate Kant's ethical writings to modern conceptions of rationality, actions and rights.

Onora O'Neill, 1989

The Principle of Reason

The Principle of Reason, the text of an important and influential lecture course that Martin Heidegger gave in 1955–56, takes as its focal point Leibniz's principle: nothing is without reason.

Martin Heidegger, 1996

On Populist Reason

A philosophical and political exploration of the construction of popular identities.

Ernesto Laclau, 2005

The Rise and Reason of Comics and Graphic Literature: ...

"These 15 essays investigate comic books and graphic novels, beginning with the early development of these media.

Joyce Goggin, Dan Hassler-Forest, 2010

Faith & Reason: Searching for a Rational Faith

This book explores philosophical questions that have important implications for the truth and rationality of the Christian faith.

Ronald H. Nash, 1994

The Life of Reason: Introduction and Reason in Common Sense

The work is an exquisitely rendered vision of human life lived sanely. In this first book of the work, Santayana provides an account of how the human animal develops instinct, passion, and chaotic experience into rationality and ideal life.

George Santayana, Marianne Sophia Wokeck, Martin A. Coleman, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «REASON»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term reason is used in the context of the following news items.

Birds, Bees And The Power Of Sex Appeal: The Ribald Lives Of …

In his new book, The Reason for Flowers, he looks at more than just the biology of flowers — he dives into the ways they've laid down roots in human history and ... «NPR, Jul 15»

LSU Prof Fired for Telling Jokes Is Latest Victim of College Anti-Sex …

“If the curriculum is fucking awful, I might say that it is,” said Buchanan in an interview with Reason. “I'm not teaching Sunday school.” She also jokingly told some ... «Reason, Jun 15»

How Government Stifled Reason's Free Speech

For the past two weeks, Reason, a magazine dedicated to "Free Minds and Free Markets," has been barred by an order from the U.S. District Court for the ... «Reason, Jun 15»

Reason Magazine Subpoena Stomps on Free Speech

Los Angeles legal blogger Ken White has obtained a grand jury subpoena issued to Reason.com, the online home of the libertarian magazine I edited ... «Bloomberg View, Jun 15»

Rand Paul: Lindsey Graham "doesn't rise beyond middle school …

During a recent interview with Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) defended himself againt recent charges by fellow ... «Reason, Jun 15»

A Swingers Club Is Rebranded a Church To Evade Local Busybodies

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to get automatic updates when new stories go live. HD Version (MOV ... «Reason, May 15»

The Bernie Sanders Save the Children Fund

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel to get automatic notifications when new material goes live. You can ... «Reason, May 15»

Mitch Daniels on How to Cut Government & Improve Services

Daniels credits the work of Reason Foundation, especially of co-founder Robert W. Poole, Jr. with helping him identify and work through innovative ways to ... «Reason, May 15»

19% of Americans Self-Identify as Libertarians, New Reuters Poll …

... piggyback onto the insights gleaned in the Reason-Rupe poll on Millennials, which we titled "The Unclaimed Generation." As I tried to explain to Reuters,. «Reason, Apr 15»

Atheist sets up 'reason station' for first time in Warren city hall

A year after being denied an application to have a "reason station" inside Warren City Hall, atheist Douglas Marshall set up the station for the first time today ... «Detroit Free Press, Apr 15»