Should i infer

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infer. Send us feedback. See more words from the same year. Accessed 12 Nov. Nglish: Translation of infer for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of infer for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Essential Meaning of infer.

Full Definition of infer. White — compare imply. Synonyms for infer Synonyms conclude , decide , deduce , derive , extrapolate , gather , judge , make out , reason , understand Visit the Thesaurus for More. They might be trying to be polite by delicately avoiding saying something rude.

Conversely, they might be trying to be rude in a discreet way. Finally, they might be trying to build suspense. Infer is spelled with the letter f in the middle and r at the end. This is similar to the spelling of the word figure. To infer is to extract from a proposition or text or signal, by what we call inference , a sense which is not literally there, which is not explicit.

Thus, I inferred from the fact that the subjects of OP's sentences were texts, not persons, that the word OP intended was not infer but imply , which means to carry or bear a sense which is not literally there—which is not explicit but implicit.

There is a distinction in meaning between infer and imply. In the sentence "the speaker implied that the general had been a traitor," the word implied means that something in the speaker's words suggested that this man was a traitor although nothing so explicit was actually stated. However, in "we inferred from his words that the general had been a traitor," the word inferred means that something in the speaker's words enabled the listeners to deduce that the man was a traitor.

The two words infer and imply can describe the same event, but from different angles. Mistakes occur when infer is used to mean imply , as in "Are you inferring that I'm a liar?

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. How should I use "infer"? Ask Question. Got it? Take a quick test. What Are You Inferring? People often ask "What are you inferring?

This is usually wrong. It should be "What are you implying? I don't understand.