Excuse vs. Reason: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 6, 2023
An "Excuse" is a justification for an action, often masking the real cause, while a "Reason" is a logical basis or cause for an event or action.
Key Differences
An "Excuse" typically implies an attempt to lessen the blame on oneself, sometimes even avoiding responsibility. It's often seen as a defensive response to a situation where one's behavior might be called into question. Conversely, a "Reason" is a rational explanation that justifies an event or action. It is rooted in logic and facts, serving as a foundational cause.
In daily interactions, when someone is late, they might provide an Excuse like "I overslept," suggesting a lapse on their part. While a Reason for the same tardiness could be "There was an accident on the highway," indicating a circumstance beyond their control. It's worth noting that while all reasons can serve as explanations, not all excuses are accepted as valid reasons.
At times, the distinction between an Excuse and a Reason can be subtle, as both can seemingly justify an action or event. However, an Excuse often carries a negative connotation, hinting at a lack of accountability. In contrast, a Reason is neutral, serving merely as an explanation without any inherent judgment.
Understanding the difference between an Excuse and a Reason is crucial for clear communication. Recognizing when one is making an Excuse as opposed to stating a Reason can lead to greater self-awareness and accountability. It's about distinguishing between merely justifying an action and explaining its genuine cause.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Justification, often masking the real cause
Logical basis or cause for an event or action
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Connotation
Defensive, sometimes negative
Neutral, factual
Accountability
Often implies less accountability
Does not evade responsibility
Usage
To lessen blame or responsibility
To explain a cause or rationale
Acceptance
Not always accepted as valid
Generally accepted as a factual basis
Excuse and Reason Definitions
Excuse
A reason put forward to lessen the blame or justify oneself.
He used traffic as an Excuse for being late.
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Reason
A cause or explanation for an action or event.
The Reason for his happiness was the good news he received.
Excuse
A pretext or subterfuge.
He made an Excuse to leave the party early.
Reason
Sound judgment and good sense.
She decided to stay home, which was a good Reason considering the storm.
Excuse
A note justifying an absence.
She provided a doctor's Excuse to miss class.
Reason
The faculty of rational argument or justification.
He appealed to her Reason rather than her emotions.
Excuse
To make allowance for; overlook or forgive
Please excuse the interruption.
Reason
The basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction
There are good reasons to learn a foreign language. See Usage Notes at because, why.
Excuse
To grant pardon to; forgive
We quickly excused the latecomer.
Reason
A declaration made to explain or justify action, decision, or conviction
What reasons did she give for leaving?.
Excuse
To apologize for (oneself) for an act that could cause offense
She excused herself for being late.
Reason
A fact or cause that explains why something exists or has occurred
The reason for the building's collapse is unknown.
Excuse
To explain (a fault or offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood; try to justify
He arrived late and excused his tardiness by blaming it on the traffic.
Reason
(Logic) A premise, usually the minor premise, of an argument.
Excuse
To serve as justification for
Witty talk does not excuse bad manners.
Reason
The capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought; intelligence
"Most of us would like to believe that when we say something is right or wrong, we are using our powers of reason alone" (Carl Zimmer).
Excuse
To free, as from an obligation or duty; exempt
She was excused from jury duty because she knew the plaintiff.
Reason
The limit of what is reasonable
"It is a curious thing that, when a man hates or loves beyond reason, he is ready to go beyond reason to gratify his feelings" (Rudyard Kipling).
Excuse
To give permission to leave; release
The child ate quickly and asked to be excused.
Reason
A normal mental state; sanity
He has lost his reason.
Excuse
An explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.
Reason
To determine or conclude by logical thinking
The doctor reasoned that the patient had a virus.
Excuse
A reason or grounds for excusing
Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.
Reason
To persuade or dissuade (someone) with reasons
"You boast ... of having reasoned him out of his absurd romance" (William Makepeace Thackeray).
Excuse
The act of excusing.
Reason
To use the faculty of reason; think logically
What would lead you to reason so?.
Excuse
A note explaining an absence.
Reason
To talk or argue logically and persuasively
Tried to reason with her son to eat a good breakfast.
Excuse
(Informal) An inferior example
A poor excuse for a poet.
A sorry excuse for a car.
Reason
(Obsolete) To engage in conversation or discussion.
Excuse
(transitive) To forgive; to pardon.
I excused him his transgressions.
Reason
A cause:
Excuse
(transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
May I be excused from the table?
I excused myself from the proceedings to think over what I'd heard.
Reason
That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted.
Excuse
(transitive) To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.
You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try to excuse his behavior!
Reason
A motive for an action or a determination.
The reason I robbed the bank was that I needed the money.
If you don't give me a reason to go with you, I won't.
Excuse
To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
Reason
An excuse: a thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation.
Excuse
Explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear any excuses!
Reason
(logic) A premise placed after its conclusion.
Excuse
(legal) A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
Reason
(uncountable) Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition.
Mankind should develop reason above all other virtues.
Excuse
An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.
That thing is a poor excuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?
He's a sorry excuse for a doctor.
Reason
(obsolete) Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice.
Excuse
To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit.
A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practicing it, if really and indeed it be against Gog's law.
Reason
Ratio; proportion.
Excuse
To pardon, as a fault; to forgive entirely, or to admit to be little censurable, and to overlook; as, we excuse irregular conduct, when extraordinary circumstances appear to justify it.
I must excuse what can not be amended.
Reason
(intransitive) To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational
Excuse
To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon.
And in our own (excuse some courtly stains.)No whiter page than Addison remains.
Reason
(intransitive) To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.
Excuse
To free from an impending obligation or duty; hence, to disengage; to dispense with; to release by favor; also, to remit by favor; not to exact; as, to excuse a forfeiture.
I pray thee have me excused.
Reason
To converse; to compare opinions.
Excuse
To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you?
Reason
(ambitransitive) To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.
I reasoned the matter with my friend.
Excuse
The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation.
Pleading so wisely in excuse of it.
Reason
To support with reasons, as a request.
Excuse
That which is offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or irregular deportment; apology; as, an excuse for neglect of duty; excuses for delay of payment.
Hence with denial vain and coy excuse.
Reason
(transitive) To persuade by reasoning or argument.
To reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan
Excuse
That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a fault.
If eyes were made for seeing.Then beauty is its own excuse for being.
Reason
To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons.
To reason down a passion
Excuse
A defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.;
He kept finding excuses to stay
Every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job
His transparent self-justification was unacceptable
Reason
To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.
To reason out the causes of the librations of the moon
Excuse
A note explaining an absence;
He had to get his mother to write an excuse for him
Reason
A thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; a just ground for a conclusion or an action; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation; the efficient cause of an occurrence or a phenomenon; a motive for an action or a determination; proof, more or less decisive, for an opinion or a conclusion; principle; efficient cause; final cause; ground of argument.
I'll give him reasons for it.
The reason of the motion of the balance in a wheel watch is by the motion of the next wheel.
This reason did the ancient fathers render, why the church was called "catholic."
Virtue and vice are not arbitrary things; but there is a natural and eternal reason for that goodness and virtue, and against vice and wickedness.
Excuse
A poor example;
It was an apology for a meal
A poor excuse for an automobile
Reason
The faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished from the intelligence of the inferior animals; the higher as distinguished from the lower cognitive faculties, sense, imagination, and memory, and in contrast to the feelings and desires. Reason comprises conception, judgment, reasoning, and the intuitional faculty. Specifically, it is the intuitional faculty, or the faculty of first truths, as distinguished from the understanding, which is called the discursive or ratiocinative faculty.
We have no other faculties of perceiving or knowing anything divine or human, but by our five senses and our reason.
In common and popular discourse, reason denotes that power by which we distinguish truth from falsehood, and right from wrong, and by which we are enabled to combine means for the attainment of particular ends.
Reason is used sometimes to express the whole of those powers which elevate man above the brutes, and constitute his rational nature, more especially, perhaps, his intellectual powers; sometimes to express the power of deduction or argumentation.
By the pure reason I mean the power by which we become possessed of principles.
The sense perceives; the understanding, in its own peculiar operation, conceives; the reason, or rationalized understanding, comprehends.
Excuse
Accept an excuse for;
Please excuse my dirty hands
Reason
Due exercise of the reasoning faculty; accordance with, or that which is accordant with and ratified by, the mind rightly exercised; right intellectual judgment; clear and fair deductions from true principles; that which is dictated or supported by the common sense of mankind; right conduct; right; propriety; justice.
I was promised, on a time,To have reason for my rhyme.
But law in a free nation hath been ever public reason; the enacted reason of a parliament, which he denying to enact, denies to govern us by that which ought to be our law; interposing his own private reason, which to us is no law.
The most probable way of bringing France to reason would be by the making an attempt on the Spanish West Indies.
Excuse
Grant exemption or release to;
Please excuse me from this class
Reason
Ratio; proportion.
When anything is proved by as good arguments as a thing of that kind is capable of, we ought not, in reason, to doubt of its existence.
Yet it were great reason, that those that have children should have greatest care of future times.
Excuse
Serve as a reason or cause or justification of;
Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work
Her recent divorce amy explain her reluctance to date again
Reason
To exercise the rational faculty; to deduce inferences from premises; to perform the process of deduction or of induction; to ratiocinate; to reach conclusions by a systematic comparison of facts.
Excuse
Defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning;
Rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior
He rationalized his lack of success
Reason
Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the inferences from them; to argue.
Stand still, that I may reason with you, before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord.
Excuse
Ask for permission to be released from an engagement
Reason
To converse; to compare opinions.
Excuse
Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with;
Excuse someone's behavior
She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities
Reason
To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss; as, I reasoned the matter with my friend.
When they are clearly discovered, well digested, and well reasoned in every part, there is beauty in such a theory.
Excuse
A release from a duty or obligation.
She was granted an Excuse from jury duty due to her illness.
Reason
To support with reasons, as a request.
Excuse
An apology or expression of regret.
Please Excuse my tardiness, she said.
Reason
To persuade by reasoning or argument; as, to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan.
Men that will not be reasoned into their senses.
Reason
To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons; - with down; as, to reason down a passion.
Reason
To find by logical processes; to explain or justify by reason or argument; - usually with out; as, to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon.
Reason
A rational motive for a belief or action;
The reason that war was declared
The grounds for their declaration
Reason
An explanation of the cause of some phenomenon;
The reason a steady state was never reached was that the back pressure built up too slowly
Reason
The capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination;
We are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil
Reason
The state of having good sense and sound judgment;
His rationality may have been impaired
He had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions
Reason
A justification for something existing or happening;
He had no cause to complain
They had good reason to rejoice
Reason
A fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion;
There is reason to believe he is lying
Reason
Decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion;
We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house
Reason
Present reasons and arguments
Reason
Think logically;
The children must learn to reason
Reason
The power of the mind to think and make judgments.
Human beings are distinguished by their ability to Reason.
Reason
A motive or basis for a belief or action.
The primary Reason for the meeting was to discuss the new proposal.
FAQs
Which word, Excuse or Reason, relates more to logic?
"Reason" is more aligned with logic and rational thinking.
Is an Excuse typically seen as negative?
An Excuse can carry a negative connotation if it seems to evade responsibility, unlike a Reason.
Is a "Reason" always based on facts?
A Reason is typically based on facts or logic, while an Excuse may not always be.
Can you Excuse someone from a duty?
Yes, to Excuse can mean to release someone from a duty or obligation.
Is a medical note an Excuse or Reason?
A medical note serves as an Excuse, but the illness it represents is the Reason for the absence.
Do both Excuse and Reason justify actions?
Both can provide justifications, but a Reason is a more factual basis, whereas an Excuse may mask the real cause.
Can an Excuse always be considered a valid Reason?
No, while an Excuse offers a justification, it isn't always a valid Reason.
Can "Reason" refer to logical thinking?
Yes, "Reason" can denote the power of the mind to think logically.
Does an Excuse always imply a lack of accountability?
Not always, but an Excuse often lessens blame or responsibility compared to a Reason.
Can a Reason be emotional?
Yes, while often logical, a Reason can also be based on emotions or beliefs.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
