infer

(ĭn-fûr')

v., -ferred, -fer·ring, -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 īnferre, to bring in, adduce : in-, in; see in-² + ferre, to bear.]

inferable in·fer'a·ble adj.
inferably in·fer'a·bly adv.
inferrer 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.

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1. The only point noted by Fowler (1926) was that the inflected forms of infer are inferred and inferring, and this is thankfully still true (but note inferable or inferrable, with one r or two, and inference with only one r). Fowler made no comment on the meaning of infer, and it was left to Gowers (1965) to add a short note to the effect that 'the use of infer for imply is sadly common—so common that some dictionaries give imply as one of the definitions of infer without comment'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (2006) warns against this meaning and distinguishes the primary meanings of the two words: (infer) 'to deduce or conclude from facts or reasoning', (imply) 'to suggest the truth or existence of (something not expressly asserted), to insinuate or hint'. The problem lies in the fact that deduction and suggestion can often be seen as part of the same process. It is nearly always infer that encroaches on imply (but see paragraph 3 below for clarification of 'nearly'), and the Old English (up to 1150)D puts the issue in its historical context by giving examples dating from the 16th century onwards.

2. The following examples show in four groups the correct meanings of both words and then the disputed or unclear usage of infer: (imply correctly used)

Vast stretches of abandoned concrete underfoot imply that someone once had plans for this land—New Yorker, 1986

It is a shocking departure from the procedures of good governance apparently designed to skirt Cabinet approval and the oversight that implies—Daily Mail, 2007

(infer correctly used) One might infer, from Judy's appearance, that her business rather lay with the thorns than the flowers—Dickens, 1853

You would have been able to infer from the room alone the nature of those who lived in it—D. M. Davin, 1979

No reference to any living person is intended or should be inferred—Saul Bellow, 1987

One of the things I inferred from the article was that the author felt that de Beauvoir was somehow living the open relationship because it was what Sartre wanted—weblog, American English 2005 [Old English (up to 1150)C]

(infer used for imply) I can't stand fellas who infer things about good clean-living Australian sheilas—Private Eye, 1970

These were the ones who had made a slightly sulky entrance (inferring rebellion), and had then proceeded to sit on the floor—M. Bracewell, 1989

(infer ambiguously used) Many good reasons exist in favor of private executions, without inferring or saying 'governments are ashamed of the death penalty'—B. R. Hall, American English 1846

She was 'flabbergasted' when complaints were made that she had taken financial advantage of him by inferring they had an 'exclusive relationship'—Express, 2004.

3. The only domain in which imply is used where infer might be expected is in legal language, in which the inference and the conclusion are regarded as part of the same process, as the following extract shows: When a possessory interest in property is conveyed, a court may imply from the circumstances that the parties also intended to grant or reserve an easement as well despite their failure to say so in the deed. Otherwise, it is infer that has broken the bounds of logic and is on the loose in the arena of idiom.

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verb

1. To arrive at (a conclusion) from evidence or reasoning: conclude, deduce, deduct, draw, gather, judge, understand. See reason/unreason.
2. To draw an inference on the basis of inconclusive evidence or insufficient information: conjecture, guess, speculate, suppose, surmise. See opinion.

v

Definition: conclude
Antonyms: misconceive, misunderstand

For a list of words related to infer, see:

• Reasoning and Examination - infer: derive a logical conclusion from premise or evidence; guess, surmise

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See words rhyming with "infer."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Infer.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - slutte, udlede, antyde
v. intr. - gætte

Nederlands (Dutch)
afleiden uit, concluderen, impliceren

Français (French)
v. tr. - inférer, déduire, suggérer, laisser entendre, insinuer
v. intr. - inférer, tirer des conclusions

Deutsch (German)
v. - schließen, folgern, andeuten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συμπεραίνω, τεκμαίρομαι, συνάγω, υπαινίσσομαι, υπονοώ

Italiano (Italian)
dedurre

Português (Portuguese)
v. - inferir

Русский (Russian)
делать заключение, означать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - inferir, deducir
v. intr. - sacar consecuencias, hacer deducciones

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - sluta sig till, innebära, antyda

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
推论出, 推断, 作推论

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 推論出, 推斷
v. intr. - 作推論

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 추리하다, 암시하다
v. intr. - 추론하다, 암시하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 推論する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يستنتج‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הסיק‬
v. intr. - ‮הגיע למסקנה‬

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