imply

Imply is a verb meaning to indicate or suggest something without stating it directly. When a person or text implies a message, the listener or reader must infer the intended meaning from context, tone, or evidence. It is transitive and generally takes a clause as its object: for example, "The advertisement implies that the product is luxurious."

Difference from infer: imply is to convey a message; infer is to deduce one. For example: "The brochure implies a discount" versus "We inferred a discount from the brochure's fine print." In common use, imply refers to what is communicated indirectly, while infer refers to what is concluded from what is stated or shown.

Usage notes: Use imply for indirect suggestion and when the speaker or writer shapes meaning without explicit assertion. The phrasing can carry bias or imply judgement, so writers should choose words carefully. Distinguish imply from insinuate: insinuate often carries a more covert or accusatory tone. The past participle implied is used for things that are suggested but not stated, while explicitly stated facts are not implied.

Etymology and related terms: imply derives from Latin implicare, meaning to fold in or involve, through Old French implicer. Related terms include suggest, insinuate, and infer, each with its own nuance regarding who communicates, what is conveyed, and what is concluded.

In logic and philosophy, implication denotes a conditional relation, commonly expressed as if p then q. In formal logic, p implies q holds whenever p is true or q is true (or both) in a given interpretation, distinguishing linguistic use from mathematical entailment.