surmise
Infer without proof
Surmise is to form an opinion or conclusion based on incomplete evidence—essentially an educated guess.
Unlike a wild guess, a surmise draws on available clues and reasoning, though it falls short of certainty.
I can only surmise that she left early because of the argument.
As a noun, a surmise is the conclusion itself: His surmise proved correct.
The word carries a tone of thoughtful speculation rather than confident assertion.
Estimate without certainty
- inferDerive by reasoning
- deduceReach by reasoning
- speculateGuess based on incomplete evidence
- assumeAccept as true
theorize · postulate · extrapolate · hypothesize · conclude · gather · reckon · suppose
Guess from limited facts
- guessworkConclusions drawn without proof
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- suppositionBelief without proof
presumption · hypothesis · theory · inference · deduction · estimation · guesstimate · shot in the dark
Instinctive immediate understanding
- inklingSlight, uncertain awareness
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- gut feelingInstinctive sense about something
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
notion · impression · feeling · premonition · sense · foreboding · sixth sense · presentiment
guess
Estimate without certainty
assume · theorize · postulate · extrapolate · hypothesize · conclude · gather · reckon · suppose · imagine
conjecture
Guess from limited facts
- guessworkConclusions drawn without proof
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
supposition · presumption · hypothesis · theory · inference · deduction · estimation · guesstimate · shot in the dark · educated guess
intuition
Instinctive immediate understanding
- inklingSlight, uncertain awareness
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- gut feelingInstinctive sense about something
instinct · notion · impression · feeling · premonition · sense · foreboding · sixth sense · presentiment · sneaking suspicion
conclude
End or infer
opine · posit · offer · propose · put forward · hazard · float · advance · intimate · imply
- guessesguess, conjecture, supposition, speculation, guesswork
- mental verbsthink, believe, know, imagine, remember
- speculationconjecture, guess, guessing, speculation, hypothesis
- theorizinghypothesis, theory, conjecture, postulate, postulation
- foretellingpredict, prophesy, foretell, foresee, forecast
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate