infer

verb

in·​fer in-ˈfər 

inferred; inferring

transitive verb

1

: to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises

we see smoke and infer fire

—L. A. White

compare imply

2

: guess, surmise

your letter … allows me to infer that you are as well as ever

—O. W. Holmes †1935

3

a

: to involve as a normal outcome of thought

b

: to point out : indicate

this doth infer the zeal I had to see him

—William Shakespeare

another survey … infers that two-thirds of all present computer installations are not paying for themselves

—H. R. Chellman

4

: suggest, hint

are you inferring I'm incompetent?

intransitive verb

: to draw inferences

men … have observed, inferred, and reasoned … to all kinds of results

—John Dewey

inferable adjective

or less commonly inferrible

in-ˈfər-ə-bəl 

inferrer

in-ˈfər-ər 

noun

Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide

Sir Thomas More is the first writer known to have used both infer and imply in their approved senses in 1528 (with infer meaning "to deduce from facts" and imply meaning "to hint at"). He is also the first to have used infer in a sense close in meaning to imply (1533). Both of these uses of infer coexisted without comment until some time around the end of World War I. Since then, the "indicate" and "hint or suggest" meanings of infer have been frequently condemned as an undesirable blurring of a useful distinction. The actual blurring has been done by the commentators. The "indicate" sense of infer, descended from More's use of 1533, does not occur with a personal subject. When objections arose, they were to a use with a personal subject (which is now considered a use of the "suggest, hint" sense of infer). Since dictionaries did not recognize this use specifically, the objectors assumed that the "indicate" sense was the one they found illogical, even though it had been in respectable use for four centuries. The actual usage condemned was a spoken one never used in logical discourse. At present the condemned "suggest, hint" sense is found in print chiefly in letters to the editor and other informal prose, not in serious intellectual writing. The controversy over the "suggest, hint" sense has apparently reduced the frequency with which the "indicate" sense of infer is used.

Synonyms

• conclude
• decide
• deduce
• derive
• extrapolate
• gather
• judge
• make out
• reason
• understand

Choose the Right Synonym for infer

infer, deduce, conclude, judge, gather mean to arrive at a mental conclusion.

infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

Examples of infer in a Sentence

May I remark here that although I seem to infer that private communication is an unholy mess of grammatical barbarism,  … such is not my intent … —V. Louise Higgins, "Approaching Usage in the Classroom," English Journal,  March 1960

… I infer that Swinburne found an adequate outlet for the creative impulse in his poetry … —T. S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood, 1920

Lucy … reseated herself with an alacrity and cheerfulness which seemed to infer that she could taste no greater delight … —Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, 1811

It's difficult to infer how these changes will affect ordinary citizens.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Google team also created algorithms to infer the evolving shape of the plasma over time from multiple indirect measurements, helping TAE understand how the plasma changed over the life of a shot. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2024

Because baleen whales — of which there are 16 species, including Humpback, Blue and Fin whales — are too large to study in captivity, biologists have had to infer their hearing ability from studies of whale behavior, how other animals interact with them and from models of their anatomy. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2024

Like tree rings, they can be used to infer developmental speeds and timing. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024

For more than a decade, astronomers have been searching that area for a hidden planet that has never been observed, but its presence is inferred by the behavior of other nearby objects. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French inferer, from Latin inferre, literally, to carry or bring into, from in- + ferre to carry — more at bear

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

infer

verb

in·​fer in-ˈfər 

inferred; inferring

1

: to arrive at as a conclusion

2

: guess entry 1 sense 1, surmise

3

: imply sense 2

inferable

-ə-bəl

adjective

Legal Definition

infer

verb

in·​fer in-ˈfər 

inferred; inferring

transitive verb

: to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises

could infer acceptance of the offer from the offeree's response

intransitive verb

: to draw inferences

inferable adjective

also inferrible

in-ˈfər-ə-bəl