implication

[im-pli-key-shuhn]

noun

1. something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood.

   to resent an implication of dishonesty.

2. the act of implying.

   His implication of immediate changes surprised us.

3. the state of being implied.

   to know only by implication.

4. Logic.,  the relation that holds between two propositions, or classes of propositions, in virtue of which one is logically deducible from the other.

5. the act of implicating or indicating that one or more persons may be involved, as in a crime.

   The implication of his accomplices came only after hours of grueling questioning by the police.

6. the state of being implicated.

   We recently heard of his implication in a conspiracy.

7. Usually implications. relationships of a close or intimate nature; involvements.

   the religious implications of ancient astrology.

   Synonyms: connection

implication

/ ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of implicating or the state of being implicated

2. something that is implied; suggestion

   the implication of your silence is that you're bored

3. logic

   1. the operator that forms a sentence from two given sentences and corresponds to the English if … then …

   2. a sentence so formed. Usually written p→q or p⊃q, where p,q are the component sentences, it is true except when p (the antecedent) is true and q (the consequent) is false

   3. the relation between such sentences

Other Word Forms

• implicational adjective
• nonimplication noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of implication¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English implicacio(u)n, from Latin implicātiōn-, stem of implicātiō “an interweaving,” equivalent to implicāt(us) “interwoven” ( implicate ) + -ion

Example Sentences

Most discussions about these “sanctions” have focused on their financial implications for Russia.

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If a split happens first, there could be considerable tax implications for an acquirer if one of the two companies is sold within two years.

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Like a lot of people, Reynolds, 53, has dealt with the implication that she must be doing something wrong.

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While our studies employed invitations in social settings, they have similar implications in the workplace, where many email platforms offer users the ability to respond to invitations by indicating “maybe.”

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The implications of life extension are profound, and they reach far beyond medicine.

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Related Words

• conclusion 
• connotation 
• indication 
• meaning 
• overtone 
• ramification 
• significance