Synonyms of deduce

deduce

verb

di-ˈdüs 

as in to derive

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information

I can deduce from the simple observation of your behavior that you're trying to hide something from me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• derive
• understand
• decide
• infer
• conclude
• guess
• think
• extrapolate
• assume
• reason
• judge
• speculate
• ascertain
• suppose
• make out
• gather
• read
• surmise
• draw a conclusion
• interpret
• rationalize
• contemplate
• construe
• conjecture
• find out
• philosophize
• dope (out)

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deduce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of deduce are conclude, gather, infer, and judge. While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

Where would conclude be a reasonable alternative to deduce?

The words conclude and deduce can be used in similar contexts, but conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

When can gather be used instead of deduce?

The words gather and deduce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

When could infer be used to replace deduce?

While the synonyms infer and deduce are close in meaning, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

When is judge a more appropriate choice than deduce?

While in some cases nearly identical to deduce, judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deduce

That left studio executives — many of whom correctly deduced they’d be shown the exit as soon as David Ellison’s crew took over — punching the clock. —Brent Lang, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025

In the penultimate episode, Ron deduced that Alice Quintana (Kathryn Meisle), the Delaware City assistant purchasing director, was behind the fraud occurring at Tecca. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025

As Rich smartly deduces, a rift between them is exactly what the clown wants, but the damage is done once Ronnie says Lilly should still be in Juniper Hill and storms off. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer noted that he was given the impression that tonight's multi-man WarGames match will include subtle moments that will help fans deduce the talent in the main event of 'WrestleMania 42'. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025