inferential
adjective
in·fer·en·tial
ˌin-fə-ˈren(t)-shəl 
1
: relating to, involving, or resembling inference
… suffer the angst that comes from going out on an inferential limb without the … data to support them.—
Henry D. Schlinger Jr.
Henry D. Schlinger Jr.2
: deduced or deducible by inference
inferential signs of his departure
Synonyms of inferential
Examples of inferential in a Sentence
there is only inferential evidence that the ancient site was used for celebrations of the summer solstice
Recent Examples on the Web
This effort to distribute AI’s compute and ownership to all comers through swarm training enables a future reality where AI isn’t something reserved for elite power brokers while inferential dregs are grudgingly dripped to the masses.
—Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Kirk also recited a flurry of mostly inferential data to suggest that Turning Point Action was crucial to flipping Arizona and played a major role in Trump’s eight-point gain in support among Black men.
—Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
And so an inferential reasoning abides.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
One story is the imagined story of a lab leak, and the other is the inferential story of a zoonotic spillover.
—Lisa Chase, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
This is an inferential claim, and is thus subject to the usual limitations.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
But in many feats of machine learning, for which Bayesian probability theory often serves as the inferential engine, the prior assumptions instilled by a model’s architects play a critical role in its interpretation of its observations.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022
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Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Kirk also recited a flurry of mostly inferential data to suggest that Turning Point Action was crucial to flipping Arizona and played a major role in Trump’s eight-point gain in support among Black men.
—Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
And so an inferential reasoning abides.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
One story is the imagined story of a lab leak, and the other is the inferential story of a zoonotic spillover.
—Lisa Chase, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
This is an inferential claim, and is thus subject to the usual limitations.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
But in many feats of machine learning, for which Bayesian probability theory often serves as the inferential engine, the prior assumptions instilled by a model’s architects play a critical role in its interpretation of its observations.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Inferential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferential. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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inferential
adjective
in·fer·en·tial
ˌin-fə-ˈren-chəl
1
: relating to, involving, or resembling inference
2
: deduced or deducible by inference
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