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inference

[in-fer-uh ns, -fruh ns]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inference 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.

Origin of inference

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

Related formsmis·in·fer·ence, nounpre·in·fer·ence, nounsu·per·in·fer·ence, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for inferences

presumption, conjecture, interpretation, supposition, assumption, reasoning, corollary, reading, guess, hint

Examples from the Web for inferences

Contemporary Examples of inferences

If I were you, I would be careful about drawing any inferences from that.
Republicans Are Racists? No, It’s Just All a Big Coincidence
Michael Tomasky
April 25, 2014
If there be in it any inferences which I may believe to be falsely drawn, I do not now and here, argue against them.
Lincoln the Primitive Communicator? What He Can Teach Modern Politicians
Douglas L. Wilson
December 15, 2012
But Sheen's case is complicated by the inferences necessary to convict him.
Anti-Semitic Celebrity Meltdowns
Eric Alterman
March 4, 2011

Historical Examples of inferences

Let us see how far these inferences from plain facts are borne out from his works.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
All inferences from experience, therefore, are effects of custom, not of reasoning7.
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
David Hume
This intelligence is exclusive; and I leave you and your readers to draw their own inferences from it.
The Mudfog and Other Sketches
Charles Dickens
My inferences are my own, but I shall be answerable for the facts.
The Captain of the Pole-Star and Other Tales
Arthur Conan Doyle
It is the inferences we draw from this fact that are different.
Social Justice Without Socialism
John Bates Clark

British Dictionary definitions for inferences

inference

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

Word Origin and History for inferences

inference

n.

1590s, from Medieval Latin inferentia, from Latin inferentem (nominative inferens), present participle of inferre (see infer).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

inferences in Culture

inference

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with inferences

inference

see draw an inference.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.