Synonyms of infer

infer

verb

in-ˈfər 

1

as in to derive

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

he inferred that she had left because her coat was gone

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

2

as in to indicate

to convey an idea indirectly

the results infer that there might be a problem with one piece of the equipment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• indicate
• imply
• suggest
• hint
• allude
• refer
• intimate
• insinuate
• signify
• mention
• signal
• point
• signalize
• smell (of)
• advert
• smack (of)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• declare
• explain
• announce
• proclaim
• describe
• elucidate
• spell out
• delineate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word infer distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of infer are conclude, deduce, gather, and judge. While all these words 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

Where would conclude be a reasonable alternative to infer?

In some situations, the words conclude and infer are roughly equivalent. However, conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

How are the words deduce and infer related?

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

When is gather a more appropriate choice than infer?

While the synonyms gather and infer are close in meaning, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

In what contexts can judge take the place of infer?

The synonyms judge and infer are sometimes interchangeable, but judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of infer

Unlike black-box algorithms that can only detect statistical correlations, biology-first AI platforms can infer cause-and-effect relationships within complex biological systems. —Niven R. Narain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Scientists can analyze these ancient samples to infer ocean temperature, sea ice cover or levels of atmospheric gases at different moments across thousands of years. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025

The reader might infer that Harold doesn’t really need the validation of his peers, and should instead hold his ground. —Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

Secret undersea freshwater aquifers This year’s offshore drilling campaign off New England didn’t just infer freshwater under the Atlantic seafloor. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025