Reasoned

How to spell reasoned

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce reasoned

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reasoned mean?

1. adjectiveBased on careful thought and logical consideration rather than emotion or impulse.
2. verbPast tense of reason: to have thought something through logically or argued a point.

Reasoned in a sentence

• adjective

  The board wanted a reasoned response, not a rushed reaction.

• verb

  He reasoned that leaving early would beat the traffic.

• adjective

  Her reasoned argument convinced even the sceptical investors.

• verb

  She reasoned with the customer until he understood the policy.

Where does reasoned come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin ratio, which meant a reckoning, a calculation, or the faculty of judgement, and which itself came from the verb reri, 'to think' or 'to reckon'. By the time it passed into Old French it had become reson or raison, carrying the sense of intelligent thought and good sense. English adopted the noun and verb 'reason' in the 1200s and 1300s, and the form 'reasoned' developed naturally by adding the regular -ed ending, serving both as the past tense of the verb and as an adjective describing something arrived at by careful thinking. The same Latin ratio also gave us 'ratio', 'rational', and 'ration', all sharing the idea of measured calculation. The spelling keeps the 'ea' from the older French and Middle English forms, which is the main thing a writer has to remember, since the word sounds nothing like its letters suggest.

How the word is built

• reason (from Latin ratio: reckoning, judgement)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)