infer
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infer
deduce, reason, guess; draw a conclusion: They inferred her dislike from her cold reply.
Not to be confused with:
imply – signify or mean; to suggest: Her words imply a lack of caring.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
in·fer
(ĭn-fûr′)v. in·ferred, in·fer·ring, in·fers
v.tr.
1. To conclude from evidence or by reasoning: "For many years the cerebral localization of all higher cognitive processes could be inferred only from the effects of brain injuries on the people who survived them" (Sally E. Shaywitz).
2. To involve by logical necessity; entail: "Socrates argued that a statue inferred the existence of a sculptor" (Academy).
3. (Usage Problem) To indicate indirectly; imply.
v.intr.
To draw inferences.
[Latin īnferre, to bring in, adduce : in-, in; see in-2 + ferre, to bear; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]
in·fer′a·ble adj.
in·fer′a·bly adv.
in·fer′rer n.
Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction careful writers make between these words is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had consulted with new financial advisers, since her old advisers favored tax reductions.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
infer
(ɪnˈfɜː)vb (when tr, may take a clause as object) , -fers, -ferring or -ferred
1. to conclude (a state of affairs, supposition, etc) by reasoning from evidence; deduce
2. (tr) to have or lead to as a necessary or logical consequence; indicate
3. (tr) to hint or imply
[C16: from Latin inferre to bring into, from ferre to bear, carry]
inˈferable, inˈferible, inˈferrable, inˈferrible adj
inˈferably adv
inˈferrer n
Usage: The use of infer to mean imply is becoming more and more common in both speech and writing. There is nevertheless a useful distinction between the two which many people would be in favour of maintaining. To infer means 'to deduce', and is used in the construction to infer something from something: I inferred from what she said that she had not been well. To imply (sense 1) means 'to suggest, to insinuate' and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
in•fer
(ɪnˈfɜr)v. -ferred, -fer•ring. v.t.
1. to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence.
2. to guess; speculate; surmise.
3. (of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
4. to hint; imply; suggest.
v.i. 5. to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.
[1520–30; < Medieval Latin inferre to imply, Latin: to bring in, advance =in- in-2 + ferre to bring, carry, bear1]
in•fer′a•ble, in•fer′ri•ble, adj.
in•fer′a•bly, adv.
in•fer′rer, n.
usage: Many usage guides condemn infer when used to mean “to hint or suggest,” as in The next speaker rejected the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government, holding the position that the proper word for this meaning is imply, and that to use infer for it is to lose a valuable distinction. Many speakers and writers observe this claimed distinction scrupulously. Nevertheless, from its earliest appearance in English infer has had the sense given in definition 3 above, a meaning that overlaps with the second definition of imply when the subject is a condition, circumstance, or the like that leads inevitably to a certain conclusion or point.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
infer
, imply - Infer means "to deduce, reason," and imply means "to hint at, suggest."See also related terms for hint.
imply, infer - A speaker or writer implies, a hearer or reader infers; implications are incorporated in statements, while inferences are deduced from statements. Imply means "suggest indirectly that something is true," while infer means "conclude or deduce something is true"; furthermore, to imply is to suggest or throw out a suggestion, while to infer is to include or take in a suggestion.
See also related terms for imply.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
imply
– infer1. 'imply'
If you imply that something is the case, you suggest that it is the case without actually saying so.
Somehow he implied that he was the one who had done all the work.
Her tone implied that her time and her patience were limited.
2. 'infer'
If you infer that something is the case, you decide that it is the case on the basis of the information that you have.
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
It is only from doing experiments that cause-and-effect relationships can be inferred.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
infer
Past participle: inferred
Gerund: inferring
| Imperative |
|---|
| infer |
| infer |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | infer - reason by deduction; establish by deduction extrapolate - gain knowledge of (an area not known or experienced) by extrapolating conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" surmise - infer from incomplete evidence elicit - derive by reason; "elicit a solution" |
| 2. | infer - draw from specific cases for more general cases conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" overgeneralise, overgeneralize - draw too general a conclusion; "It is dangerous to overgeneralize" universalise, universalize - make universal; "This author's stories universalize old themes" | |
| 3. | infer - conclude by reasoning; in logic conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" | |
| 4. | infer - guess correctly; solve by guessing; "He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize" figure out, puzzle out, solve, lick, work out, work - find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem" tell - discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy" | |
| 5. |  infer - believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?"believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
infer
verb deduce, understand, gather, conclude, derive, presume, conjecture, surmise, read between the lines, put two and two together I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
Usage: The use of infer to mean imply is becoming more and more common in both speech and writing. There is nevertheless a useful distinction between the two which many people would be in favour of maintaining. To infer means 'to deduce', and is used in the construction 'to infer something from something': I inferred from what she said that she had not been well. To imply means `to suggest, to insinuate' and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
infer
verb1. To arrive at (a conclusion) from evidence or reasoning:
2. To draw an inference on the basis of inconclusive evidence or insufficient information:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَسْتَدِل، يَسْتَنْتِج
usouditvyvozovat
slutte
álykta
padaryti išvadą
secināt
infer
[ɪnˈfɜːʳ] VTCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
infer
[ɪnˈfɜːr] vtCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
infer
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
infer
(inˈfəː) – past tense, past participle inˈferred – verb to judge (from facts or evidence). I inferred from your silence that you were angry.
ˈinference nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.