What is the opposite of infer?

Answer 1

Infer means to find an unexpressed meaning in another's words. The opposite is imply, to convey an unexpressed meaning in one's own words.

So while a listener may infer a certain meaning, the speaker is the one to imply a certain meaning, without actually stating it.

Answer 2

There really is no opposite for inference, save for not inferring something. The question itself is actually framed wrong, as an inference is a point of perspective. On the other side is implication. In other words, someone may imply something that you can infer, the relation only works one way. An example: Carrie explicitly states that cheese, milk, and butter make her nauseous (thereby implying that she is lactose-intolerant) which causes Sam to infer that Carrie is lactose-intolerant. The two terms function much like someone who sees something and the something that is seen, neither can exist without the other. Similarly, you cannot infer something that hasn't been implied by some evidence, no matter how tenuous.

Answer 3

Reality