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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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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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 endocarditis, infecund, infelicitous, infelicity, infer, inference, inferencing, inferential, inferential statistics, inferior, inferior alveolar nerve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for inference

Let’s say there is a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, approved without political inference by the FDA.
A third of Americans might refuse a Covid-19 vaccine. How screwed are we?|Brian Resnick|September 4, 2020|Vox
While it’s nearly impossible to uncover who exactly is doing the swearing since the audio is generally being muted, we can still make a few inferences.
Carmelo Anthony’s On-Court Cussing Has TV Networks Playing Defense|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Through finding the relationships and patterns between words in a giant dataset, the algorithm ultimately ends up learning from its own inferences, in what’s called unsupervised machine learning.
OpenAI’s New Text Generator Writes Even More Like a Human|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|June 18, 2020|Singularity Hub
Some philosophers have gone so far as to argue that creatures that lack a language are not capable of being rational, making inferences, grasping concepts, or even having beliefs or thoughts.
Animals That Can Do Math Understand More Language Than We Think|Erik Nelson|June 14, 2020|Singularity Hub

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.

Idioms and Phrases with inference

inference

see draw an inference.

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Origin of inference

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Example sentences from the Web for inference

British Dictionary definitions for inference

noun

Cultural definitions for inference

Idioms and Phrases with inference

MEANINGS

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WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

inference

noun

QUIZZES

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Origin of inference

OTHER WORDS FROM inference

Words nearby inference

Words related to inference

Example sentences from the Web for inference

British Dictionary definitions for inference

noun

Cultural definitions for inference

Idioms and Phrases with inference