inference
noun
- the process of deriving the strict logical consequences of assumed premises.
- the process of arriving at some conclusion that, though it is not logically derivable from the assumed premises, possesses some degree of probability relative to the premises.
- a proposition reached by a process of inference.
Origin of inference
Related Words for inference
presumption, conjecture, interpretation, supposition, assumption, reasoning, corollary, reading, guess, hintExamples from the Web for inference
Contemporary Examples of inference
The inference that the child was treated as an equal in the community is unwarranted.
This is an example of abductive reasoning: an inference is made based on known facts, in an effort to explain them.
The reasoning task requires the mice to make an inference by exclusion.
Are You Smarter Than a Mouse? Excerpt from Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain PowerDan Hurley
January 10, 2014
Sen. Claire McCaskill said the “innuendo and inference” reminded her of Joe McCarthy.
The inference of “it” is that Burns himself wandered a painful distance down a suicidal path after being bullied in school.
Historical Examples of inference
I knew not what the inference would be, if I said they were not.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
The known facts, too, all corroborate this inference: let us consider them a little.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
The inference is that he was imported from abroad for the purpose of committing this outrage.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
But she guessed very well what inference was drawn from her application.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
You say that the one proposition is an inference from the other.