deduce

as in to derive
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information I can deduce from the simple observation of your behavior that you're trying to hide something from me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word deduce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of deduce are conclude, gather, infer, and judge. While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," 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

Where would conclude be a reasonable alternative to deduce?

The words conclude and deduce can be used in similar contexts, but conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

When can gather be used instead of deduce?

The words gather and deduce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

When could infer be used to replace deduce?

While the synonyms infer and deduce are close in meaning, 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

When is judge a more appropriate choice than deduce?

While in some cases nearly identical to deduce, judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deduce Flask samples still deduce sources’ CO2 fingerprints. Ashley Braun, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025 But the nature of all idioms is that their meaning cannot be deduced from their components; the phrase kicked the bucket does not put the English speaker in the mind of an actual bucket, just as the word death does not remind him terribly of the letter D. Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025 Image Image The researchers deduced that the tax scheme was designed to escape notice, which meant careful detective work was required to piece together what happened. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 In the lesson, students deduce the correct path by jumping on colored dots to find their way across six multi-hued rows. Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for deduce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deduce
Verb
  • Of that amount, $1.2 billion was derived from membership fees alone—accounting for nearly half of the operating profit, and primarily recurring.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • However, the original equation was derived from predominantly mammalian data.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • More research is needed to better understand why diabetic people on GLP-1s have increased eye disease, Shor said.
    Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025
  • These powerful stellar explosions serve as cosmic lighthouses, helping astronomers measure vast cosmic distances and understand the accelerating expansion of the universe.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Always, along the chain of hectic audience gossip, there was one person who decided to nip in the bud the talk about a too iconoclastic Beckett, and the relay to the estate was stopped; someone—more than one someone—who decided that Matthew and his crazy dreams were worth shielding.
    Han Ong, New Yorker, 22 June 2025
  • The deciding game of the series will be played on Sunday afternoon.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • Different molecules absorb light in different ways, and by analysing these absorption patterns – called spectra – scientists infer what chemicals are likely to be present.
    Oliver Swainston, Space.com, 28 June 2025
  • Learning to infer In traditional approaches, those disappearances are hard to cope with, even when using methods that already incorporate machine learning.
    Matt von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deduce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deduce. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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