What this suffix does
-reasoned evaluates how solid the logic of an argument is: well-reasoned, poorly-reasoned.
ESEN
Suffix · forms adjectives
-reasoned
Judges how solid an argument's logic is: well-reasoned (logically sound) versus poorly-reasoned (weak logic).
In Spanish: razonado / argumentado / fundamentado en la razónIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
How it is formed
Adverb + reasoned.
- well + reasonedwell-reasoned (logically sound)
- poorly + reasonedpoorly-reasoned (weak logic)
- carefully + reasonedcarefully-reasoned
This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.
How it is pronounced
-reasoned
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Examples
Base word
With -reasoned
In a phrase
- wellwell-reasonedHer argument was well-reasoned and hard to disagree with.
- poorlypoorly-reasonedThe essay was poorly-reasoned and jumped between ideas.
- carefullycarefully-reasonedHe gave a carefully-reasoned explanation for his decision.
- illill-reasonedThe plan was ill-reasoned from the start.
- soundlysoundly-reasonedThe report is soundly-reasoned and backed by data.
Common mistakes
well-reasoned = persuasive or convincing (a judgment about effect)
well-reasoned = logically sound; the premises support the conclusion through valid reasoning
"Well-reasoned" is a judgment about logical structure, not about psychological persuasiveness. A well-reasoned argument is one where the logic is valid — the conclusion follows from the premises. It may or may not be persuasive to a particular audience. Conversely, a poorly-reasoned argument can be highly persuasive (through rhetoric, emotion, or appeal to prejudice) while still being logically inadequate.
"well-reasoned" only applies to arguments and opinions
"well-reasoned" applies to any judgment, position, or conclusion that involves logical inference
"Well-reasoned" can apply to arguments, opinions, verdicts, policies, positions, conclusions, reports — any output of a reasoning process that involves moving from premises to conclusions. The compound evaluates the quality of the logical process regardless of the type of output it produced.
A trick to remember it
well-reasoned = "reasoned well", from "reason". A well-reasoned argument is one that someone "reasoned well": the compound literally describes that process.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"a poorly-reasoned decision" is a decision made...
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -reasoned mean in English?
The suffix -reasoned judges how solid an argument's logic is: well-reasoned (logically sound) versus poorly-reasoned (weak logic). In Spanish it usually maps to razonado / argumentado / fundamentado en la razón.
Can you give an example of a word with -reasoned?
"well" becomes "well-reasoned". It is a typical example of the -reasoned suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-founded
Judges how solid the basis of a claim or fear is: well-founded (justified, based on good evidence) versus ill-founded (baseless).
-grounded
Describes how sensible or well-supported a person, idea, or theory is: well-grounded (sensible, level-headed) versus poorly-grounded (weakly supported).
-versed
Describes how much someone knows about a subject: well-versed (highly knowledgeable) versus poorly-versed (having little knowledge).
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