Revised as of
27 Nov 2022
For as complex as I thought this word confusion would be, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was wrong. Yeah, most of the time I hate to find out I’m wrong! Not this time. This time I was quite happy. So, I’m implying that this is a piece of cake . . . *grin* . . .
Imply and infer are the same thing in that an indirect message is involved. It simply depends on who is speaking and who is listening: the speaker implies, providing suggestions, and the listener infers, deduces, reasons based on what he has heard.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Imply | Infer |
|---|---|
Expression of the Emotions Figure 14 by Mr. T.W. Wood (“I am also greatly indebted to Mr. T. W. Wood for the extreme pains which he has taken in drawing from life the expressions of various animals.” – p. 26) is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — This dog’s expression implies a ferocity I don’t want to challenge. |
Manhole Cover in Zeeuws Vlaanderen is Charles01’s own work under Wikimedia Commons. — Upon seeing a manhole cover in a street, one can infer that there are drainage tunnels beneath the surface. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, transitive
Third person present verb: implies |
Verb, transitive
Third person present verb: infers |
| Speaker implies
Indicate indirectly Strongly suggest the truth or existence of something not expressly stated
|
Listener infers
Received the implication, message Deduce or conclude information from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements |
| Examples: | |
| The salesman who uses jargon to imply his superior knowledge.
The report implies that two million jobs might be lost. The forecasted traffic increase implied more roads and more air pollution. |
From these facts we can infer that crime has been increasing.
From what George said, we can infer that the Christmas bonus will be substantial. They inferred her dislike from her cold reply. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Noun: implication, implying Verb, transitive: reimply, reimplied, reimplying, superimply, superimplied |
Adjective: inferable, inferible, inferrable, inferrible Adverb: inferably Noun: inferrer, inferring |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English is from the Old French emplier, which is from the Latin implicare, from in- (in + plicare, meaning to fold).
The original sense was entwine, entangle. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the word also meant employ. |
Late 15th century in the sense of bring about, inflict from the Latin inferre meaning bring in, bring about from the medieval Latin deduce, from in- (into + ferre, meaning bring). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Imply versus Infer
Apple Dictionary.com
The Free Dictionary: imply, infer
Pinterest Photo Credits:
A Woman Skier Making Up Her Face Amid the Snow Gums, c. 1930s by Sam Hood is from the State Library of New South Wales collection and is in the public domain with no restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons.
