What Does Inference Mean?

Inference refers to the act or the process of drawing logical conclusions from premises that are known or that are assumed to be true. It could refer to the act of reasoning based on factual knowledge or evidence. It could also mean something inferred. It is sometimes used to imply a hint or suggestion.

It could refer to the act of moving from statistical sample data to forming generalizations typically with specific calculated degrees of certainty. Inference is a topic that that has been incorporated into a number of different fields such as logic, cognitive psychology, statistics and artificial intelligence. Reasoning is a related field which includes sub areas like abductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning and retroductive reasoning.

Synonyms for the same include the terms illation, deduction, conclusion and consequence.