What does infer mean?
Infer means to reach a conclusion or form an opinion by reasoning from evidence, observations, or other information. It is especially common in contexts involving investigation, research, analysis, and deduction: a historian may infer a change in climate from geological evidence, while a reader may infer the author's attitude from the choice of words. The word suggests a logical movement from known facts to a conclusion, but it does not necessarily imply that the conclusion is certain. In some formal contexts, infer also means to suggest or imply indirectly. Compared with guess or speculate, infer normally presents a more evidence-based process, although the strength of the supporting evidence can vary. It is a useful word because it describes not just an answer but the act of reasoning toward one, making it common in academic, journalistic, scientific, and everyday explanations.
verbTo reach a conclusion or form an opinion from evidence, reasoning, or information. It can also mean to suggest or imply something, especially when a conclusion is drawn indirectly.
- To reach a conclusion or form an opinion from evidence, reasoning, or available information.
"From the evidence available, we can infer that the change was deliberate."
"Researchers inferred the animal's diet from the contents of its stomach."
"The investigator inferred that someone else had entered the room from the displaced objects."
Every detective begins by doing what this word describes: reaching a conclusion before the evidence has revealed every detail.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does infer come from?
Infer comes from Latin inferre, meaning “to carry into” or “to bring in,” formed from in- (“into” or “in”) and ferre (“to carry”). In English, the word developed the sense of deriving a conclusion or meaning from signs and evidence. Its relatives confer, defer, refer, and transfer preserve the idea of bringing or carrying something, though their modern meanings have specialized independently.
Related word forms
How infer is actually used
In careful reasoning, infer suggests a conclusion supported by evidence, although the evidence need not be conclusive. In some contexts, particularly in formal or legal writing, infer can also mean to imply or suggest indirectly.
Easily confused with infer
To infer is to draw a conclusion from evidence, whereas to imply is to suggest or make something understandable without stating it directly.