infer
Conclude from clues
To infer is to reach a conclusion from evidence or reasoning rather than from explicit statement.
If someone avoids eye contact and gives short answers, you might infer they're upset.
From the muddy footprints, she inferred he'd come through the garden.
Infer is often confused with imply—speakers imply (suggest), listeners infer (conclude from what's suggested).
Reach by reasoning
- concludeEnd or infer
- reasonBasis or justification
- extrapolateExtend known data outward
- surmiseGuess from incomplete information
presume · assume · postulate · theorize · conjecture · derive · gather · glean
Unverified belief accepted as true
- suppositionBelief without proof
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- guessEstimate without certainty
hunch · intuition · surmise · presumption · theory · postulation · educated guess · estimation
Conclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- syllogismFormal deductive argument structure
- premiseFoundation for logical argument
- conclusionEnd or deduction
reasoning · rationale · corollary · implication · validity · logical · abduction · entailment
Hints toward answers
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- signsDisplays conveying information
- dataFacts for analysis
- indicatorsSigns that reveal status
patterns · observations · facts · information · signals · traces · cues · symptoms
deduce
Reach by reasoning
- concludeEnd or infer
- reasonBasis or justification
- extrapolateExtend known data outward
surmise · presume · assume · postulate · theorize · conjecture · derive · gather · glean · discern
assumption
Unverified belief accepted as true
- suppositionBelief without proof
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
guess · hunch · intuition · surmise · presumption · theory · postulation · educated guess · estimation · prediction
deduction
Conclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- syllogismFormal deductive argument structure
- premiseFoundation for logical argument
conclusion · reasoning · rationale · corollary · implication · validity · logical · abduction · entailment · conditional
clues
Hints toward answers
indicators · patterns · observations · facts · information · signals · traces · cues · symptoms · findings
imply
Indicate without stating
intimate · allude · indicate · signify · convey · mean · entail · connote · denote · signal
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate
- analysisanalyze, analysis, evaluate, data analysis, examine
- investigatinginvestigate, examine, inspect, probe, search
- judgmentsjudgment call, judge, moral judgment, criticize, value judgment
- mental verbsthink, believe, know, imagine, remember
- communicateexpress, convey, communicate, tell, share
infermisunderstand
Grasp incorrectly
misconceive · misinterpret · misconstrue · miss the point · misread
- infernal devicesDiabolically designed explosives
- information transferMoving data between points
- infernal contractAgreement with dark forces
- infernal machineExplosive designed to harm
- infernal regionsAbode of the damned
- logical inferenceConclusion derived through reasoning
inferred, inference, infernal, inferring, infers, inferential, inferable, inferences