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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | logic for belief, action |
| Synonyms: | account, excuse, explanation, exposition, grounds, hypothesis, justification, motivation, motive, philosophy, principle, raison d'être, rationalization, reason, reasons, song and dance, sour grapes, story*, the big idea, the whole idea, theory, whatfor, why and wherefore, whyfor |
| Notes: | a rationale is given for a future course of action, whereas a rationalization is offered for a past action |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
| Main Entry: | account |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | basis or consideration for action |
| Synonyms: | cause, ground, grounds, interest, justification, motive, rationale, rationalization, reason, regard, sake |
| Main Entry: | definition |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | description |
| Synonyms: | analogue, annotation, answer, characterization, clarification, clue, comment, commentary, cue, delimitation, delineation, demarcation, denotation, determination, diagnosis, drift, elucidation, exemplification, explanation, explication, exposition, expounding, fixing, formalization, gloss, individuation, interpretation, key, outlining, rationale, rendering, rendition, representation, settling, signification, solution, statement of meaning, terminology, translation |
| Antonyms: | ambiguity, nonsense, vagueness |
| Main Entry: | grounds |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | basis, premise |
| Synonyms: | account, antecedent, argument, base, bedrock, call, cause, chapter and verse, demonstration, determinant, dope*, evidence, excuse, factor, footing, foundation, goods*, groundwork, inducement, info, information*, infrastructure, justification, motive, numbers, occasion, pretext, proof, rationale, reason, root*, seat, straight stuff, substratum, test, testimony, trial, underpinning, wherefore, why, whyfor |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | hypothesis |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | theory |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, apriority, assignment, assumption, attribution, axiom, basis, belief, conclusion, condition, conjecture, data, deduction, demonstration, derivation, explanation, foundation, ground, guess, inference, interpretation, layout, lemma, philosophy, plan, position, postulate, premise, presupposition, principle, proposal, proposition, rationale, reason, scheme, shot in the dark, speculation, starting point, suggestion, supposition, surmise, system, tentative law, term, theorem, thesis |
| Antonyms: | calcualtion, measurement, proof, reality, truth |
| Main Entry: | incentive |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | lure, inducement |
| Synonyms: | allurement, bait, carrot, catalyst, come-on, consideration, determinant, drive, encouragement, enticement, excuse, exhortation, goad, ground, impetus, impulse, incitement, influence, insistence, inspiration, instigation, motivation, motive, persuasion, provocation, purpose, rationale, reason, reason why, spring, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulus, temptation, urge, whip |
| Notes: | the temporal orientation of incentive is toward the future; that of inducement is toward the past |
| Antonyms: | block, hindrance, turn-off |
| Main Entry: | justification |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, excuse |
| Synonyms: | absolution, account, acquittal, advocacy, answer, apologia, apology, approval, argument, basis, confirmation, defense, exculpation, exoneration, explanation, extenuation, grounds, idea, mitigation, palliation, palliative, plea, pretext, raison d'être, rationale, rationalization, rebuttal, redemption, reply, response, salvation, sanctification, song and dance, story, support, validation, vindication, warrant, whatfor, wherefore, whitewashing, whole idea, why and wherefore |
| Main Entry: | logic |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | science of reasoning |
| Synonyms: | antithesis and synthesis, argumentation, coherence, connection, course of thought, deduction, dialectic, good sense, induction, inference, linkage, philosophy, ratiocination, rationale, relationship, sanity, sense, sound judgment, syllogism, syllogistics, thesis, train of thought |
| Antonyms: | unreasonableness |
| Main Entry: | motive |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, purpose |
| Synonyms: | aim, antecedent, basis, cause, consideration, design, determinant, drive, emotion, end, feeling, grounds, idea, impulse, incentive, incitement, inducement, influence, inspiration, intent, intention, mainspring, motivation, object, occasion, passion, rationale, root, spring, spur, stimulus, thinking |
| Antonyms: | deterrent, discouragement, hindrance |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
