generalize vs infer what difference
what is difference between generalize and infer
English
Alternative forms
- generalise (non-Oxford British spelling)
Etymology
general + -ize
Verb
generalize (third-person singular simple present generalizes, present participle generalizing, simple past and past participle generalized)
- To speak in generalities, or in vague terms.
- To infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles.
- 1795, William Nicholson, A Dictionary of Chemistry
- Copernicus generalized the celestial motions by merely referring them to the moon’s motion. Newton generalized them still more by referring this last to the motion of a stone through the air.
- 1795, William Nicholson, A Dictionary of Chemistry
- To derive or deduce (a general concept or principle) from particular facts.
- August 24, 1831, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Truth and Maxims
- A mere conclusion generalized from a great multitude of facts.
- August 24, 1831, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Truth and Maxims
Synonyms
- (speak in generalities): See also Thesaurus:generalize
Antonyms
- (speak in generalities): See also Thesaurus:specify
- (infer from specific cases): specialize
Derived terms
Related terms
- general
Translations
Portuguese
Verb
generalize
- first-person singular present subjunctive of generalizar
- third-person singular present subjunctive of generalizar
- first-person singular imperative of generalizar
- third-person singular imperative of generalizar
English
Etymology
From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti (“to bear, carry”), from the root *bʰer-. Literally “carry forward”, equivalent to “bear in”, as in concluding from a premise.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɝ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪnˈfɜː/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
Verb
infer (third-person singular simple present infers, present participle inferring, simple past and past participle inferred)
- (transitive) To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence. [from 16th c.]
- 2010, “Keep calm, but don’t carry on”, The Economist, 7 Oct 2010:
- It is dangerous to infer too much from martial bluster in British politics: at the first hint of trouble, channelling Churchill is a default tactic for beleaguered leaders of all sorts.
- 2010, “Keep calm, but don’t carry on”, The Economist, 7 Oct 2010:
- (transitive) To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply. (Now often considered incorrect, especially with a person as subject.) [from 16th c.]
- a. 1535, Thomas More, letter to Fryth
- the fyrste parte is not the proofe of the second. but rather contrarywyse the seconde inferreth well yͤ fyrst.
- a. 1535, Thomas More, letter to Fryth
- (obsolete) To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone. [16th-18th c.]
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.8:
- faire Serena […] fled fast away, afeard / Of villany to be to her inferd […].
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.8:
- (obsolete) To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in. [16th–18th c.]
Usage notes
There are two ways in which the word “infer” is sometimes used as if it meant “imply”. “Implication” is done by a person when making a “statement”, whereas “inference” is done to a proposition after it had already been made or assumed. Secondly, the word “infer” can sometimes be used to mean “allude” or “express” in a suggestive manner rather than as a direct “statement”. Using the word “infer” in this sense is now generally considered incorrect. [1] [2]
Synonyms
- assume, conclude, deduce, educe, construe
Related terms
- inferable
- inference
- illative
- illation
- -ferous (-iferous)
Translations
Anagrams
- -frine, Finer, finer, frine
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈin.fer/, [ˈĩːfɛɾ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈin.fer/, [ˈinfɛr]
Verb
īnfer
- second-person singular present active imperative of īnferō
References
- infer in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- infer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette