The use of "infer"

Question

HiDo native speakers use infer to mean imply sometimes?Are you infering that I am a liar?Thanks,Tom

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hii Mr. Tom:

I use it more often to mean "deduce" - e.g. "from your enthusiam, I infer that you like sports." But, see the "usage note" from Dictionary.com

Usage note: Infer has been used to mean “to hint or suggest” since the 16th century by speakers and writers of unquestioned ability and eminence: The next speaker criticized the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government. Despite its long history, many 20th-century usage guides condemn the use, maintaining that the proper word for the intended sense is imply and that to use infer is to lose a valuable distinction between the two words. Although the claimed distinction has probably existed chiefly in the pronouncements of usage guides, and although the use of infer to mean “to suggest” usually produces no ambiguity, the distinction too has a long history and is widely observed by many speakers and writers.

By the way, I have never been exposed to these referenced "usage guides", but infer that they do exist!

Philip · Answer

I prefer to make the distinction, what I would call "traditional", from the point of view of my upbringing.  Likewise for 'nauseous' and nauseated'.

The use of "infer"

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