implication

noun

im·​pli·​ca·​tion ˌim-plə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: something implied: such as

a

: a possible significance or future effect

—usually plural

the book has political implications

the negative health implications of a sedentary lifestyle

b

: suggestion

I resent the implication that I'm not trying hard enough.

The shocking implication is that although humans and computers currently perceive the world in different ways, one day this perception will be essentially the same.

—The Physics arXiv Blog

2

: the act of implicating : the state of being implicated: as

a

: close connection, relationship, or involvement

… in addition to their implication in many diseases, viruses play integral parts in the evolution of novel traits in living creatures …

—Nathan Myhrvold

b

: an incriminating involvement

… all the innuendo about her first cousin Scipio Aemilianus's implication in the murder.

—Colleen McCullough

Richard Nixon announced his resignation as US president, the first to do so, because of his implication in the Watergate scandal.

—The Western Mail

3

a

: the act of implying : the state of being implied

He condemned the court and, by implication, the entire legal system.

b logic

(1)

: a relationship between two propositions that fails to hold only if the first is true and the second is false see Truth Table

(2)

: a relationship between two propositions in which if the first is true then the second is true

(3)

: a statement exhibiting a relation of implication

implicative

ˈim-plə-ˌkā-tiv 

im-ˈpli-kə-

adjective

implicatively adverb

implicativeness noun

Examples of implication in a Sentence

… but whereas Updike and Roth work to establish connection and coherence in the face of time's chaos, DeLillo is an artist of diffusion and dispersal, of implication and missing information. —A. O. Scott, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 2006

… the power of ideas to transform the world is itself accelerating. Although people readily agree with this observation when simply stated, very few people truly appreciate its profound implications. —Ray Kurzweil, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005

… the astronomer Edwin Hubble found that the universe is expanding, and by implication must have originated a finite time ago in an explosion popularly called the big bang. —Paul Davies, The New Physics, 1989

I'm offended by his implication that women can't be good at mathematics.

He condemned the court and, by implication, the entire legal system.

He was shocked by the implication of his partner in the theft.

Recent Examples on the Web

The capability to safely approach, dock with, and interact with another satellite in orbit has other implications too. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026

Spyglass Media said her posts crossed into antisemitism and hate speech, citing what the company characterized as false references to genocide, Holocaust distortion and an implication that Western media conceal Israel’s perspective. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

These raises were initially denied — along with all other proposals with budget implications. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

For someone with substantial assets, the implications can extend well beyond state income taxes. — Rob Edwards, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English implicacioun "complication, complexity," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French implicacion "act of implying," borrowed from Medieval Latin implicātiōn-, implicātiō "entanglement, act of implying something, statement with implicit meaning," going back to Latin, "action of weaving in, intricacy," from implicāre "to fold about itself, entwine, involve" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at implicate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Rhymes for implication

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

implication

noun

im·​pli·​ca·​tion ˌim-plə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the act of implicating : the state of being implicated

2

a

: the act of implying : the state of being implied

b

: something implied

Legal Definition

implication

noun

im·​pli·​ca·​tion ˌim-plə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the act of implicating : the state of being implicated

2

: the act of implying : the state of being implied

3

: something implied