infer

verb

in·fer | \ in-ˈfər

inferred; inferring

Definition of infer

transitive verb

1 : to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises we see smoke and infer fire— L. A. White — compare imply

2 : guess, surmise your letter … allows me to infer that you are as well as ever— O. W. Holmes †1935

3a : to involve as a normal outcome of thought

b : to point out : indicate this doth infer the zeal I had to see him— William Shakespeare another survey … infers that two-thirds of all present computer installations are not paying for themselves— H. R. Chellman

4 : suggest, hint are you inferring I'm incompetent?

intransitive verb

: to draw inferences men … have observed, inferred, and reasoned … to all kinds of results— John Dewey

Other Words from infer Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about infer

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Other Words from infer

inferable or less commonly inferrible \ in-ˈfər-ə-bəl

\ adjective

inferrer \ in-ˈfər-ər

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for infer

infer, deduce, conclude, judge, gather mean to arrive at a mental conclusion. 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 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 conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning. concluded that only the accused could be guilty judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based. judge people by their actions gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications. gathered their desire to be alone without a word

Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide

Sir Thomas More is the first writer known to have used both infer and imply in their approved senses in 1528 (with infer meaning "to deduce from facts" and imply meaning "to hint at"). He is also the first to have used infer in a sense close in meaning to imply (1533). Both of these uses of infer coexisted without comment until some time around the end of World War I. Since then, the "indicate" and "hint or suggest" meanings of infer have been frequently condemned as an undesirable blurring of a useful distinction. The actual blurring has been done by the commentators. The "indicate" sense of infer, descended from More's use of 1533, does not occur with a personal subject. When objections arose, they were to a use with a personal subject (which is now considered a use of the "suggest, hint" sense of infer). Since dictionaries did not recognize this use specifically, the objectors assumed that the "indicate" sense was the one they found illogical, even though it had been in respectable use for four centuries. The actual usage condemned was a spoken one never used in logical discourse. At present the condemned "suggest, hint" sense is found in print chiefly in letters to the editor and other informal prose, not in serious intellectual writing. The controversy over the "suggest, hint" sense has apparently reduced the frequency with which the "indicate" sense of infer is used.

Examples of infer in a Sentence

May I remark here that although I seem to infer that private communication is an unholy mess of grammatical barbarism, … such is not my intent … — V. Louise Higgins, "Approaching Usage in the Classroom," English Journal, March 1960 … I infer that Swinburne found an adequate outlet for the creative impulse in his poetry … — T. S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood, 1920 Lucy … reseated herself with an alacrity and cheerfulness which seemed to infer that she could taste no greater delight … — Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, 1811 It's difficult to infer how these changes will affect ordinary citizens. Are you inferring that I'm wrong?

Recent Examples on the Web

Qualia blamed the back up of migrants inside the facility on the inability to transfer migrants into ICE custody, inferring more funding was need to to that. — Emanuella Grinberg And Geneva Sands, CNN, "Adult migrants are being held in this facility longer than they should be," 28 June 2019 The legend has at least two implications, both inferring nature’s sacred source. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Unicorns are just one of the wild rides in the Getty’s marvelous ‘Book of Beasts’," 23 July 2019 The absence of dramatic depth, in conjunction with instances of unflattering acting, prompts one to infer Cross couldn’t instill any tools from his time in front of the camera into his cast. — Carlos Aguilar, latimes.com, "Review: ‘Summer Night’ renders young adulthood as tiresome," 11 July 2019 The researchers analyzed the fluids from each patient to infer the most likely cause of their pneumonia from a list of 30 pathogens. — Alex Fox, Science | AAAS, "Viruses—not bacteria—cause most childhood pneumonia," 27 June 2019 Our brain uses the difference in loudness and timing of the sound detected by each ear as a clue to infer where the sound came from. — Science Buddies, Scientific American, "What Do You Hear Underwater?," 27 June 2019 Instead, researchers have tried to probe the past by looking at sedimentary proxies: iron, carbon or sulfur compounds in geological strata with properties that can be measured and put into models to infer ancient oxygen levels. — Quanta Magazine, "Rapid Oxygen Changes Fueled an Explosion in Ancient Animal Diversity," 9 May 2019 And Heineken’s own research says that nearly 30% of 21- to 25-year-olds haven’t had a beer in the past month, a stat inferring the need and demand for liquor-free options that still remind consumers of alcohol. — Anna Ben Yehuda Rahmanan, Fortune, "Alcohol-Free Bars Caught on in the U.S. and U.K. But Can They Go Global?," 22 June 2019 Existing data let Hughes and Finarelli infer certain odors in the dinosaur repertoire, such as blood and generic vegetation. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "T. rex had an amazing sense of smell, gene study suggests," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.