implication

American  

[im-pli-key-shuhn] / ˌɪm plɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

implications plural

1. something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood.

   to resent an implication of dishonesty.

2. the act of implying.

   His implication of immediate changes surprised us.

3. the state of being implied.

   to know only by implication.

4. Logic. the relation that holds between two propositions, or classes of propositions, in virtue of which one is logically deducible from the other.

5. the act of implicating or indicating that one or more persons may be involved, as in a crime.

   The implication of his accomplices came only after hours of grueling questioning by the police.

6. the state of being implicated.

   We recently heard of his implication in a conspiracy.

7. Usually implications. relationships of a close or intimate nature; involvements.

   the religious implications of ancient astrology.

   Synonyms:

   connection

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implication British  

/ ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of implicating or the state of being implicated

2. something that is implied; suggestion

   the implication of your silence is that you're bored

3. logic

   1. the operator that forms a sentence from two given sentences and corresponds to the English if … then …

   2. a sentence so formed. Usually written p→q or p⊃q, where p,q are the component sentences, it is true except when p (the antecedent) is true and q (the consequent) is false

   3. the relation between such sentences

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimplication
  noun
• implicational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• implications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of implication

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English implicacio(u)n, from Latin implicātiōn-, stem of implicātiō “an interweaving,” equivalent to implicāt(us) “interwoven” ( see implicate) + -ion

Explanation

An implication is something that is suggested, or happens, indirectly. When you left the gate open and the dog escaped, you were guilty by implication. Implication has many different senses. Usually, when used in the plural, implications are effects or consequences that may happen in the future. You might ask, "What are the implications of our decision?" Implication is also the state of being implicated, or connected to something bad: "Are you surprised by their implication that you were involved in the crime?"

Example Sentences

Perhaps the most significant implication is what the work could reveal about intelligence itself.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

Ibrahimovic would also post a video of himself and Henry doing some virtuoso juggling as Lalas stood idly by, the implication being that the two guys who call it football know what they’re doing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

The clear implication was that Sir Keir was doing none of these things.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

That’s the implication of research from Campbell Harvey of Duke University and Claude Erb, a former commodity-fund manager at TCW.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

His—the way that he spoke about them left no doubt in my mind what the implication was there.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• conclusion
• connotation
• indication
• meaning
• overtone
• ramification
• significance