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

Prosecutors repeatedly asked witnesses about missing safety features, inferring that sprinkler systems or fire and smoke alarms could have given victims crucial seconds to flee. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Ghost Ship trial: Big takeaways after prosecution rests its case," 5 June 2019 To test the babies’ logical reasoning — their ability to infer through the process of elimination that the smiley face must be in the cup — the researchers pulled a fast one. — Amy Ellis Nutt, Washington Post, "Can a 1-year-old reason like a scientist? Yes, new research concludes.," 17 Mar. 2018 Trying to infer voter preference from a blank slate is election fraud. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "A Broward County Senate Steal?," 9 Nov. 2018 The manipulation of a system that is put into place to ensure that students who have disabilities have their needs met, can cause folk on the outside to infer that the entire system is corrupt. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "The College Admissions Scandal Could Have Lasting Impacts for Disabled People," 13 Mar. 2019 If a resume lists work on an advertising campaign over the past year, Watson can infer that the work involved digital marketing skills, for example. — Sara Castellanos, WSJ, "HR Departments Turn to AI-Enabled Recruiting in Race for Talent," 14 Mar. 2019 Parents' complaints would fall on deaf ears at the social media giant, forcing them to go through agencies like the Better Business Bureau or even inferring pricey chargeback fees from credit card companies to get some of their money back. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Documents Show Facebook Knowingly Took Money from Unwitting Children," 25 Jan. 2019 Experts had to infer its actions from market movements. — Tom Fairless, WSJ, "Coming to a Festival Near You: Friendly Central Bankers," 28 May 2018 One can infer from this news that the CDR confirmed the Air Force’s stated $550 million per Raider price tag. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "New U.S. Secret Bomber Program Passes Critical Design Review," 6 Dec. 2018

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.