in·fer ( n-fûr )v. in·ferred, in·fer·ring, in·fers v.tr. 1. To conclude from evidence or premises. 2. To reason from circumstance; surmise: We can infer that his motive in publishing the diary was less than honorable. 3. To lead to as a consequence or conclusion: "Socrates argued that a statue inferred the existence of a sculptor" (Academy). 4. To hint; imply. v.intr. To draw inferences. [Latin  nferre, to bring in, adduce : in-, in; see in-2 + ferre, to bear; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]in·fer a·ble adj.in·fer a·bly adv.in·fer rer n.Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions. |
infer [ɪnˈfɜː]
vb -fers, -ferring, -ferred (when tr, may take a clause as object)
1. to conclude (a state of affairs, supposition, etc.) by reasoning from evidence; deduce
2. (tr) to have or lead to as a necessary or logical consequence; indicate
3. (tr) to hint or imply
[from Latin inferre to bring into, from ferre to bear, carry]
inferable , inferible, inferrable, inferrible adj
inferably adv
inferrer n
Usage: The use of infer to mean imply is common in both speech and writing, but is regarded by many people as incorrect
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | infer - reason by deduction; establish by deduction extrapolate - gain knowledge of (an area not known or experienced) by extrapolating conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" surmise - infer from incomplete evidence elicit - derive by reason; "elicit a solution" |
| 2. | infer - draw from specific cases for more general cases conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" overgeneralise, overgeneralize - draw too general a conclusion; "It is dangerous to overgeneralize" universalise, universalize - make universal; "This author's stories universalize old themes" | |
| 3. | infer - conclude by reasoning; in logic conclude, reason, reason out - decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" | |
| 4. | infer - guess correctly; solve by guessing; "He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize" figure out, puzzle out, solve, lick, work out, work - find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem" tell - discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy" | |
| 5. |  infer - believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?"believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits" |
infer
verb deduce, understand, gather, conclude, derive, presume, conjecture, surmise, read between the lines, put two and two together I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
Usage: The use of infer to mean imply is becoming more and more common in both speech and writing. There is nevertheless a useful distinction between the two which many people would be in favour of maintaining. To infer means 'to deduce', and is used in the construction 'to infer something from something': I inferred from what she said that she had not been well. To imply means `to suggest, to insinuate' and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?
Translations
infer [ɪnˈfɜːʳ] VT
infer [ɪnˈfɜːr] vt
infer
v infer [inˈfəː]
to judge (from facts or evidence) I inferred from your silence that you were angry. aflei يَسْتَدِل، يَسْتَنْتِج заключвам vyvozovat slutte folgern συμπεραίνω, συνάγω inferir, deducir järeldama برداشت کردن päätellä déduire לְהַסִיק अनुमानकरना zaključivati, zaključiti következtet menilai álykta dedurre 推論する 추론하다 padaryti išvadą secināt membuat kesimpulan afleiden trekke slutninger, utlede (wy)wnioskować inferir a deduce делать вывод usúdiť sklepati zaključiti sluta sig till อนุมาน sonucuna varmak 推斷 робити висновок (з чого) نتیجہ اخز کرنا suy luận 推断
n inference
afleiding إسْتِدْلال، إسْتِنْتاج извод závěr, dedukce slutning; følgeslutning die Schlußfolgerung συμπέρασμα inferencia, deducción järeldus استنباط päätelmä déduction הַסָקַת מַסקָנָה अनुमान zaključak következtetés penilaian ályktun deduzione 推論 추측 išvada secinājums; slēdziens membuat kesimpulan gevolgtrekking konklusjon, slutning, antakelse wniosek inferência deducţie вывод uzáver, domnienka sklep zaključivanje slutledning, slutsats การอนุมาน sonuç/anlam (çıkarma) 推論 висновок نتیجہ sự suy luận 推论
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