imply
/ɪmˈplʌɪ
/verb (implies, implying, implied) [with object]
1Indicate the truth or existence of (something) by suggestion rather than explicit reference: salesmen who use jargon to imply superior knowledge [with clause]: the report implies that two million jobs might be lost...
- Her words were ripped out of context and her speech was widely reported as implying her support for terrorism.
- The rebirth implied by the concept of the Renaissance had reference to classical learning.
- These data imply that kava extract is superior to placebo as a symptomatic treatment of anxiety.
Synonyms
implicit, indirect, hinted, suggested, insinuated, deducible, inferred, understood;
oblique, unspoken, unexpressed, undeclared, unstated, unsaid, tacit, unacknowledged, not spelt out, silent, taken for granted, taken as read, assumed
insinuate, suggest, hint, intimate, implicate, say indirectly, indicate, give someone to understand, give someone to believe, convey the impression, signal
informal make out
1.1(Of a fact or occurrence) suggest (something) as a logical consequence: the forecasted traffic increase implied more roads and more air pollution...
- Caring about the consequences of events of which you disapproved does not imply support for those events.
- To suggest so implies a deep misunderstanding of the nature of consciousness.
- Of course, that one doesn't protest about a thing doesn't necessarily imply endorsement of it.
Synonyms
involve, entail;
mean, point to, signify, indicate, signal;
necessitate, require
Usage
Imply and infer do not mean the same thing and should not be used interchangeably: see infer (usage).
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare, from in- 'in' + plicare 'to fold'. The original sense was 'entwine'; in the 16th and 17th cents the word also meant 'employ'. Compare with employ and implicate.