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

Examples of deduce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This straight path, from the minimum amount of information to their final conclusion, also describes the way Liu’s contemporary characters deduce the aliens’ plans to invade Earth. Nan Z. Da, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2024 Risks in business are often deduced down to financial metrics, but reputation risk can far exceed economic losses. Erik Logan, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 Forensic investigators can sample what microbes are living in a dead body to deduce how long ago a person died based on the makeup of the microbial population. Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 After deducing that purchasers are more likely to buy them at higher prices using the drip model, StubHub reportedly implemented it as the de facto purchase method. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 31 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for deduce 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deduce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Deduce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deduce. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.

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