inferred

[in-furd]

adjective

1. derived by reasoning or concluded from evidence, or provisionally identified through either of these methods.

   An inferred weapon is one that we know exists due to forensic analysis of material from the crime scene.

2. assumed as a result of estimation or speculation.

   Investors should note the guesswork involved in the company's inferred mineral deposit, absent the site visit and technical report of a legally qualified person.

3. implied or hinted at.

   If I understand correctly, the inferred suggestion is that the journalist got his information from the victim's family.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of infer.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-inferred adjective
• uninferred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inferred¹

infer ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Under U.S. military law, all orders “may be inferred to be lawful,” with an exception only for “patently illegal orders.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s probably not fair, but I inferred that the Key West Literary Seminar actually had no idea what to do with a weekend full of crime writers.

Read more on Salon

"If some people have mistakenly inferred that this children's production has any content about the migrant situation which has sparked debate in the UK some nine years later, then their reaction is misplaced."

Read more on BBC

"Previous findings have inferred that they exist, or hinted at their presence, but haven't actually confirmed that material has definitively escaped out into space. We've now managed to do this for the first time."

Read more on Science Daily

It was what kind of insider — and the company’s future strategy — investors inferred from the appointment press release and day-one commentary.

Read more on MarketWatch