infer

[ in-fur ]

See synonyms for: infer inferred inferring infers on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),in·ferred, in·fer·ring.

to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
(of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.

to guess; speculate; surmise.
to hint; imply; suggest.

verb (used without object),in·ferred, in·fer·ring.

to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.

Origin of infer

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin inferre, equivalent to in- + ferre “to bring, carry, bear”; see origin at in-², bear¹

usage note For infer

Infer has been used to mean “to hint or suggest” since the 16th century by speakers and writers of unquestioned ability and eminence: The next speaker criticized the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government. Despite its long history, many usage guides condemn the use, maintaining that the proper word for the intended sense is imply and that to use infer is to lose a valuable distinction between the two words.
Although the claimed distinction has probably existed chiefly in the pronouncements of usage guides, and although the use of infer to mean “to suggest” usually produces no ambiguity, the distinction too has a long history and is widely observed by many speakers and writers.

word story For infer

The English verb infer has always been used in logic to mean “to conclude by reasoning or from evidence.” It comes from the Latin verb inferre “to carry in, enter, introduce, inflict,” composed of the prefix in- “in, into” and ferre “to carry, bear.” Inferre meaning “to conclude, draw an inference, infer” is very rare in Latin, occurring only in the writings of Cicero (106–43 b.c.), Roman statesman and man of letters, and the great, commonsensical Roman rhetorician Quintilian (who lived about a.d. 35–95).

Other words for infer

1	deduce, reason
3	imagine, conjecture, suppose

See synonyms for infer on Thesaurus.com

Other words from infer

in·fer·a·ble, in·fer·ra·ble, adjective
in·fer·a·bly, adverb
in·fer·rer, noun
mis·in·fer, verb, mis·in·ferred, mis·in·fer·ring.
non·in·fer·a·ble, adjective
non·in·fer·a·bly, adverb
sub·in·fer, verb, sub·in·ferred, sub·in·fer·ring.
un·in·fer·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with infer

imply, infer (see usage note at the current entry)

Words Nearby infer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use infer in a sentence

Such big-picture cultural observations are a jumping-off point to infer what colors, silhouettes, and fabrics will be the macro trends in fashion up to two years in advance.
Tech-savvy fashion forecasters already know what you’ll be wearing in two years | Rachael Zisk | February 10, 2021 | Popular-Science
Their goal was to see if they could infer how the flat-toothed predators crushed their prey without disturbing their dinner time.
Listen to the soothing sounds of a snacking stingray | Purbita Saha | February 4, 2021 | Popular-Science
To reconstruct how that happened, the researchers used bioinformatics to infer the ancestral sequences for about 550 chemokines in today’s animals.
Some Proteins Change Their Folds to Perform Different Jobs | Viviane Callier | February 3, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
Now, various teams are developing new ways to infer exactly how the multiverse bubbles and what happens when those bubble universes collide.
Physicists Study How Universes Might Bubble Up and Collide | Charlie Wood | January 25, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
Once we know the projected scoring margin, we can infer an implied win percentage.
Gonzaga has a good chance to go undefeated and win the national championship | Neil Greenberg | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post

And more I cannot explain/but you, from what I did not say/will infer what I do not say.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun | Katie Baker | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Therefore, we can at least infer that the people of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes did not have a rigorous eugenics program like Sparta.
Living With Disability in the Dark Ages | Elizabeth Picciuto | July 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I would tend to infer that I guess he is, however reluctantly.
That Fascinating Obama–Charlie Rose Interview | Michael Tomasky | June 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Some people chose to infer that we believed humans to be feeble-minded, which we never did.
Daniel Kahneman’s Gripe With Behavioral Economics | Jesse Singal | April 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
I infer from this that Dan Kois is not afflicted with lower back trouble.
Should People Stop Reclining Their Seats? | Megan McArdle | February 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
We should infer also from some of the early stage plays, that the "players" used the weed even when acting their parts.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
From this place some commentators infer that this king became a true convert, and dying not long after, was probably saved.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
We must not, however, infer that there was a large Egyptian element in the Canaanitish Pantheon.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 | Various
We infer from his writings that his age was degenerate and corrupt, but, as we have already said, his reproofs were gentle.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
We are left to infer that only thirteen out of 224 parishes were in such a state as the Bishop could approve.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3) | Richard Bagwell

British Dictionary definitions for infer

infer

/ (ɪnˈfɜː) /

verb-fers, -ferring or -ferred (when tr, may take a clause as object)

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

Origin of infer

C16: from Latin inferre to bring into, from ferre to bear, carry

usage For infer

The use of infer to mean imply is becoming more and more common in both speech and writing. There is nevertheless a useful distinction between the two which many people would be in favour of maintaining. To infer means `to deduce', and is used in the construction to infer something from something : I inferred from what she said that she had not been well . To imply (sense 1) means `to suggest, to insinuate' and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?

Derived forms of infer

inferable, inferible, inferrable or inferrible, adjective
inferably, adverb
inferrer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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