inference

[ in-fer-uhns, -fruhns ]

/ ˈɪn fər əns, -frəns /

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See synonyms for: inference / inferences on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or process of inferring.

something that is inferred: to make rash inferences.

Logic.

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.

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Origin of inference

From the Medieval Latin word inferentia, dating back to 1585–95. See infer, -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM inference

mis·in·fer·ence, nounpre·in·fer·ence, nounsu·per·in·fer·ence, noun

Words nearby inference

infective, infecund, infelicitous, infelicity, infer, inference, inferencing, inferential, inferential statistics, inferior, inferior conjunction

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

How to use inference in a sentence

The value lies in the inferences drawn from your interactions, which are also stored on your phone—but that data does not belong to you.
Collective data rights can stop big tech from obliterating privacy|Martin Tisne|May 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
To humans this is basic common sense, but algorithms have a hard time making causal inferences, especially without a large dataset or in a different context than the one they were trained in.
AI Is Harder Than We Think: 4 Key Fallacies in AI Research|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|May 6, 2021|Singularity Hub
We’re talking about a small-scale research finding that was the truth in that finding, but because of the mechanics of statistical inference, it just won’t be right.
Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|March 25, 2021|Freakonomics
You can also find this inference on the web and at events each year around the world.
Democratizing data for a fair digital economy|Martha Leibs|March 22, 2021|MIT Technology Review

If a device is frequenting an NFL stadium, for example, you can infer that the user is a football fan, which allows a host of other inferences to form.
Everything you need to know about audience targeting without relying on third-party cookies|Sean Cotton|March 9, 2021|Search Engine Watch
The inference that the child was treated as an equal in the community is unwarranted.
Living With Disability in the Dark Ages|Elizabeth Picciuto|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is an example of abductive reasoning: an inference is made based on known facts, in an effort to explain them.
Is Sherlock Holmes a Good Detective?|Noah Charney|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Power|Dan Hurley|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sen. Claire McCaskill said the “innuendo and inference” reminded her of Joe McCarthy.
We’re All Joe McCarthy|Michael Moynihan|February 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The inference of “it” is that Burns himself wandered a painful distance down a suicidal path after being bullied in school.
Gay Teens' New Champion Opens Up|Claire Howorth|October 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The inference which ought to have been drawn from these facts was that the prohibitory system was absurd.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
No inference can be drawn from any comparisons between sexual crime of adults and sexual misbehaviour among children.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
She evidently made up her mind that logic was a fallacious mode of inference, and determined to abandon it for the future.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
Mrs. Stanley did not see her way clear to comment either upon the fact or the inference.
Overland|John William De Forest
I beg you to believe me that there has been nothing between your wife and myself that could justify the inference you have drawn.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for inference

inference

/ (ˈɪnfərəns, -frəns) /

noun

the act or process of inferring

an inferred conclusion, deduction, etc

any process of reasoning from premises to a conclusion

logic the specific mode of reasoning usedSee also deduction (def. 4), induction (def. 4)

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

Cultural definitions for inference

inference

In logic, the deriving of one idea from another. Inference can proceed through either induction or deduction.

Other Idioms and Phrases with inference

inference

see draw an inference.

inference

Origin of inference

OTHER WORDS FROM inference

Words nearby inference

Words related to inference

How to use inference in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inference

Cultural definitions for inference

Other Idioms and Phrases with inference