1
as in deriving
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
Relevance
2
as in implying
to convey an idea indirectly
the results infer that there might be a problem with one piece of the equipment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inferring
Large language models are extraordinarily good at inferring context clues—in this case, the user’s name, professional background, and likely objections—and tailoring output accordingly.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
His real talent seemed to be inferring some of the more mundane details of my life.
—Webb Wright, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2025
Like detectives reconstructing a crime scene or archaeologists inferring the entire shape of a pot from a minimal number of fragments, scholars of historical linguistics figure out the earlier forms that must have given rise to words in many different languages and connect the dots between them.
—Martha Barnette
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
As the doctors weighed in, AI algorithms monitored the behavior of each participant, inferring how strongly each felt about their choice based on the relative motions of their icon over time.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Sep. 2018
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
His real talent seemed to be inferring some of the more mundane details of my life.
—Webb Wright, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2025
Like detectives reconstructing a crime scene or archaeologists inferring the entire shape of a pot from a minimal number of fragments, scholars of historical linguistics figure out the earlier forms that must have given rise to words in many different languages and connect the dots between them.
—Martha Barnette
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
As the doctors weighed in, AI algorithms monitored the behavior of each participant, inferring how strongly each felt about their choice based on the relative motions of their icon over time.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inferring
Verb
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The very legitimacy of deriving general principles from the particulars of experience can never be established from experience without already having the principle in hand.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
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Large language models represent the first technology capable of analyzing, contextualizing and deriving insights from this avalanche of information.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The firm estimates that US airlines alone could face around $24 billion in additional fuel costs, implying fares might need to rise by roughly 11% to fully offset the increase.—
Scott Campbell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
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Futures market pricing is implying almost no chance of a rate cut, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch gauge.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This phase diagram, a chart showing how a material behaves as variables such as doping or temperature change, is crucial for understanding how superconductivity emerges.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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However, empowerment also means understanding how scammers operate in the real world.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trouvelot cuts into this degraded crater, indicating that the neighboring basin formed first.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Within 24 hours of the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, ships in the region’s waters found their navigation systems had gone haywire, erroneously indicating that the vessels were at airports, a nuclear power plant and on Iranian land.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sarr, in contrast, was a 6-foot-8 sparkplug during Duke’s game-deciding run, punctuated by a full-court steal-and-slam that caused Blue Devil fans to erupt and forced Davis to call a timeout.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Insurers, not doctors, are increasingly deciding when and how patients receive cancer treatment.—
Alex Mejia Garcia,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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General manager Dan Morgan told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Panthers wanted to get younger at the backup QB spot, hinting that the end for 38-year-old Andy Dalton in Charlotte could be close.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
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Courtney Love and Melissa Auf der Maur are hinting that their grunge band Hole is going to reunite.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investors are bracing for a prolonged conflict, suggesting the oil spike may not be short-lived.—
Marcus Wong,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Japan and Taiwan China and Japan relations are currently particularly fraught, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting last year Japan might get involved if China invades Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.—
Jennifer Pak,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inferring. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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