SURMISING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

surmising

verb

present participle of surmise

as in guessing

to form an opinion from little or no evidence we surmised that she had purchased the apple pie since there was a bakery box on the kitchen counter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 surmising During this period, this Simpsons episode circulated on social media (with a few digital modifications), with various media outlets surmising that the series had predicted these events. — Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmising

Verb

Every year, Heidi Klum—the undisputed queen of Halloween—keeps spooky season fans guessing as to her next big costume reveal.

— Christian Allaire, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026
Diving In One common tip from solvers was to try to make your category groups outside of the game before guessing, such as writing them down on a sheet of paper or on your phone.

— Isaac Aronow, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of guessing

Verb

More recently, other experts have advised American farmers to go all out growing soybeans, supposing they will be needed by the Chinese or somebody.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.

— Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025

Definition of supposing

Verb

Sacramento firefighters have responded to multiple fires along the American River Parkway near Northgate Boulevard over the past week, with investigators suspecting the fires may have been human-caused.

— Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
The family, suspecting Yarludy’s been assaulted by her teacher, accuses both Oscar and the center.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspecting

Verb

Pundits are already speculating on the movie’s Oscar chances in the Best Picture category, where no documentary has ever been nominated before.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Political experts are also speculating about what the contribution means about AOC's political future.

— Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of speculating

Browse Nearby Words

surmises

surmising

surmount

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of surmising

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quondam

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes