infer

[ in-fur ]
See synonyms for: inferinferredinferringinfers on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),in·ferred, in·fer·ring.
  1. to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.

  2. (of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.

  1. to guess; speculate; surmise.

  2. to hint; imply; suggest.

verb (used without object),in·ferred, in·fer·ring.
  1. to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.

Origin of infer

1
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin inferre, equivalent to in- + ferre “to bring, carry, bear”; see origin at in-2, bear1

usage note For infer

Infer has been used to mean “to hint or suggest” since the 16th century by speakers and writers of unquestioned ability and eminence: The next speaker criticized the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government. Despite its long history, many usage guides condemn the use, maintaining that the proper word for the intended sense is imply and that to use infer is to lose a valuable distinction between the two words.
Although the claimed distinction has probably existed chiefly in the pronouncements of usage guides, and although the use of infer to mean “to suggest” usually produces no ambiguity, the distinction too has a long history and is widely observed by many speakers and writers.

word story For infer

The English verb infer has always been used in logic to mean “to conclude by reasoning or from evidence.” It comes from the Latin verb inferre “to carry in, enter, introduce, inflict,” composed of the prefix in- “in, into” and ferre “to carry, bear.” Inferre meaning “to conclude, draw an inference, infer” is very rare in Latin, occurring only in the writings of Cicero (106–43 b.c.), Roman statesman and man of letters, and the great, commonsensical Roman rhetorician Quintilian (who lived about a.d. 35–95).

Other words for infer

Other words from infer

  • in·fer·a·ble, in·fer·ra·ble, adjective
  • in·fer·a·bly, adverb
  • in·fer·rer, noun
  • mis·in·fer, verb, mis·in·ferred, mis·in·fer·ring.
  • non·in·fer·a·ble, adjective
  • non·in·fer·a·bly, adverb
  • sub·in·fer, verb, sub·in·ferred, sub·in·fer·ring.
  • un·in·fer·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with infer

  • imply, infer (see usage note at the current entry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for infer

infer

/ (ɪnˈfɜː) /


verb-fers, -ferring or -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

  1. (tr) to hint or imply

Origin of infer

1
C16: from Latin inferre to bring into, from ferre to bear, carry

usage For infer

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 (sense 1) means `to suggest, to insinuate' and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?

Derived forms of infer

  • inferable, inferible, inferrable or inferrible, adjective
  • inferably, adverb
  • inferrer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012