inferences

noun

plural of inference
as in deductions
an opinion arrived at through a process of reasoning that seems like a reasonable inference, but in this case it happens to be incorrect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 inferences Wolf, with the Birmingham-Bloomfield Democrats, says he is not convinced the nation can draw inferences from what happens in Michigan. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026 Both are inferences drawn from a résumé, and only one of them is flattering. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Because of the randomness of some of these things and complexities like deletions, many of the individual inferences about history will be wrong. — ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 This requires dealing with contradictory sources, making inferences, performing many web searches, and more, but neither model had any trouble with any of it. — Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 16 June 2026 But my conclusions about these impacts rest on plausible inferences from what researchers know more generally about cognitive psychology. — Christian B. Miller, The Conversation, 4 June 2026 With this data, scientists can draw inferences about consciousness. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 15 May 2026 Most of the inferences in that profile were wrong. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026 But a close reading of the filing encouraged certain inferences. — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inferences
  1. deductions
  2. conclusions
  3. determinations
  4. consequences
  5. decisions
  6. assumptions
Noun
  • As this example shows, futures investing — and deductions drawn from it — can shift rapidly.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Common business deductions include rent, employee wages, utilities, office supplies and other expenses.
    — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of deductions
Noun
  • The intelligence findings were shown to the AP on condition that the services involved were not identified, and the news organization was not able to independently verify the findings’ conclusions.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Drawing definitive conclusions from pre-season is foolish — but Lacey has shown his close control, pace, and scored an excellent goal in the previous friendly against Rosenborg.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of conclusions
Noun
  • So, in that regard, there is a lot of deference given to the executive branch to reach those determinations, including determinations that may be policy driven.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 31 July 2026
  • Social Security serves more than 300 million Americans through benefit payments, retirement records, disability determinations, replacement cards and hundreds of millions of annual transactions.
    — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2026
Definition of determinations
Noun
  • The family is split for good — the consequences on people are just enormous.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Cohen draws a sharper line than the women do about the consequences of that bargain.
    — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of consequences
Noun
  • This is also supportive for pricing your work, recognizing your talent, or making money decisions with more confidence.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Golf the day of a game, a beer before it, those are a player's decisions.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of decisions
Noun
  • These failures stemmed not from new vulnerabilities, but from basic security flaws like weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints, and reliance on assumptions over robust controls.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Was there anything that challenged your own assumptions about what's happening along our northern border?
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of assumptions

Browse Nearby Words

inference
inferences
inferential
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inferences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inferences. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on inferences

Nglish: Translation of inferences for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All