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

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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

Director Chloe Okuno builds an atmosphere of dread, keeps the audience guessing and subtly underlines the film’s message about gaslighting and misogyny.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
One payment beats guessing whether a message is safe to click, reply to, or pay through.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of guessing

Verb

Paying attention to these factors can provide a useful starting point rather than assuming one solution will work for everyone.

— Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
However, Ujiié cautioned against assuming any simple relationship between a species’ genetic identity and its shell chirality.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of assuming

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

In the r/Solidcore subreddit, one expressed frustration with the fitness studio’s lack of communication after suspecting their ringworm infection came from the Downtown Brooklyn location.

— Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 14 July 2026
Oceanside Police Captain Nick Nunez told KNSD that officers are not suspecting foul play.

— Adam England, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

Definition of suspecting

Verb

Meta was facing the prospect of truly massive damages in the California case with some speculating that the ultimate number could have gone as high as $200 billion.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
Frank Sierawski didn't set out to discover a multibillion-dollar market for speculating on when people with life insurance policies will die.

— Vito Emanuel, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of speculating

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surmises

surmising

surmount

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“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of surmising

verb

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