Synonyms of deduce

deduce

verb

di-ˈdüs 

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

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

Synonym Chooser

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

Recent Examples of deduce

After learning about Tony and Bobby's passport scheme, Elizabeth deduces that Bogdan had more than a few reasons to want Tony out of the picture. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Most of what experts know has been deduced from studying ceramics, camelid remains, and other religious sites, such as Akapana, that dot the Andean highlands. —Gina Park, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025

From this, the team deduces that the new planet, if fully confirmed, is similar to Saturn or Jupiter in size and is in the habitable zone of the star, where its surface temperature is estimated as 225 K (-48 °C or -55 °F). —David Szondy august 14, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2025

Based on the distribution of the marks throughout different rock layers, paleontologists deduced they were made by dinosaurs returning repeatedly to the area over time. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2025