B2verb3K

Infer

UK /["/ɪnˈfɜː(r)/","/ɪnˈfɜːz/","/ɪnˈfɜːd/","/ɪnˈfɜːrɪŋ/"]/US /["/ɪnˈfɜːr/","/ɪnˈfɜːrz/","/ɪnˈfɜːrd/","/ɪnˈfɜːrɪŋ/"]/

Definition

to reach an opinion or decide that something is true on the basis of information that is available

In simple words: To understand something based on clues rather than being told directly.

Examples

  • Much of the meaning must be inferred from the context.
  • Readers are left to infer the killer’s motives.
  • It is reasonable to infer that the government knew about these deals.
  • From this study we can reasonably infer that this characteristic is inherited.
  • It is difficult to infer anything from such evidence.
  • It can be inferred from the evidence that the killer was quite a young man.
  • What can we infer about the state of mind of the writer?
  • Are you inferring (that) I’m not capable of doing the job?

Usage notes

Use 'infer' when drawing conclusions from evidence or reasoning. It’s common in academic writing but less frequent in casual conversation where 'guess' might be used instead.

Grammar pattern

infer + object

Memory hint

Think of 'in' and 'fer' as 'in the evidence to draw a conclusion'.

Collocations

  • reasonably
  • correctly
  • incorrectly
  • can
  • be possible to
  • be difficult to
  • from

Synonyms

  • deduce
  • conclude
  • derive
  • gather
  • extrapolate

Antonyms

  • state
  • declare
  • announce

Common mistakes

  • Confused with 'imply' — remember, implying is saying something indirectly, while inferring is what the listener does.
  • Using 'infer' without an object (e.g., saying 'I infer' without specifying what you infer from).
  • Assuming 'infer' and 'learn' mean the same thing.