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infer
[ in-fur ]
verb (used with object)
- to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence:
They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
Synonyms: suppose, conjecture, imagine, reason, deduce
- (of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
verb (used without object)
- to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.
infer
/ ɪnˈfɜː /
verb
- to conclude (a state of affairs, supposition, etc) by reasoning from evidence; deduce
- tr to have or lead to as a necessary or logical consequence; indicate
- tr to hint or imply
Usage Note
Usage
Derived Forms
- inˈferably, adverb
- inˈferable, adjective
- inˈferrer, noun
Other Words From
- in·fer·a·ble in·fer·ra·ble adjective
- in·fer·a·bly adverb
- in·fer·rer noun
- mis·in·fer verb misinferred misinferring
- non·in·fer·a·ble adjective
- non·in·fer·a·bly adverb
- sub·in·fer verb subinferred subinferring
- un·in·fer·a·ble adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of infer1
Example Sentences
Rather than randomly sampling the noise term, their approximation technique infers the missing term from the current 3D shape rendering.
Before this study, prehistoric diet was inferred by analyzing secondary evidence, such as stone tools or the preserved remains of prey animals.
According to the researchers, this impacts other inferred properties about these planets and informs how they might have formed.
That, the judge said, could infer that they were either together or had a plan not to be in contact.
“Circumstantially, of course, we could infer that that was exactly what Matthews was doing,” the D.A. report said.
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Related Words
Infer vs. Imply
What's the difference between infer and imply?
Infer most commonly means to guess or use reasoning to come to a conclusion based on what has been suggested. To imply is to indicate or suggest something without actually stating it.
Infer and imply can be confused because they’re often used at opposite ends of the same situation. When someone implies something (suggests it without saying it explicitly), you have to infer their meaning (conclude what it is based on the hints that have been given).
For example, you might infer that your friend wants cake for their birthday because they keep talking about how much they like cake and reminding you that their birthday is coming up. Your friend didn’t actually ask for cake, but they implied that they want it by giving you hints. You used these hints to infer that they want cake.
Of course, there are situations in which you might infer something when nothing was implied or nothing was intended to be implied.
Probably due to the association between the two words, infer is sometimes used to mean the same thing as imply—to hint or suggest. Even though this can be confusing, the meaning of infer can usually be easily inferred from the context in which it’s used.
Here’s an example of infer and imply used correctly in a sentence.
Example: Even though he only implied that he may be in trouble, we correctly inferred that he was.
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between infer and imply.
Quiz yourself on infer vs. imply!
Should infer or imply be used in the following sentence?
I ___ from your annoyed tone that you weren’t happy with your birthday cake.
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