1
Deduce from evidence
Reach a conclusion by connecting observations or facts.
Example
From the wear on the steps, archaeologists inferred that the entrance was heavily used.
infer
/ɪnˈfɜː/ · in-FURverb
To reach a conclusion from evidence and reasoning rather than direct statement.
Use infer for what a reader, observer, or researcher concludes from clues; a writer implies, but a reader infers.
What infer Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Read an implication
Understand an idea that a text suggests without stating directly.
Example
Readers can infer the narrator's distrust from her guarded descriptions.
3
Estimate an unseen condition
Use measurable effects to identify a hidden cause or state.
Example
Astronomers infer the planet's mass from its effect on the star.
Use infer Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
From the wear on the steps, archaeologists inferred that the entrance was heavily used.
The report allows readers to infer that costs rose before revenue declined.
Researchers inferred the animal's diet from chemical traces in its teeth.
Precision Matters
Infer overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
infer
vs.Is what the receiver concludes.
imply
Is what a speaker, writer, or fact suggests.
infer
vs.May draw a probable conclusion from contextual evidence.
deduce
Often stresses formal logical reasoning.
infer
vs.Should be supported by evidence.
surmise
Is a tentative conclusion, often from limited evidence.
infer
vs.Interprets what evidence means.
observe
Notices or records the evidence itself.
Test infer in Context
The conclusion is derived from clues rather than directly stated.
1
The letters never state that the expedition lacked money, but repeated requests for smaller crews and cheaper equipment allow historians to ___ that its budget was under pressure.