Agency Dictionary
Inferential
adjectivePronunciation: /ˌɪn.fəˈrɛn.ʃəl/
In Portuguese: Inferencial
Philosophy & EthicsWhat does “Inferential” mean?
Characterized by or derived from deduction, reasoning from premises, or drawing conclusions from evidence.
Etymology
From inference with the suffix -ial. Inference comes from Medieval Latin inferentia, from Latin inferre, "to bring in, to carry forward, to deduce", from in- ("in") and ferre ("to carry, to bear"). The adjective describes reasoning that draws conclusions from evidence or premises rather than from direct observation.
Usage note
In statistics, inferential statistics draws conclusions about a population from a sample, in contrast to descriptive statistics, which only summarizes the data at hand.
Synonyms
- deductive
- inductive
- conjectural
- presumptive
Word family
- infer
- inference
- inferable
Rhymes with
- deferential
- preferential
- referential
- sequential
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- Antithesisnoun
- A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
- Discursiveadjective
- Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
- Treatisenoun
- A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
- Maximnoun
- A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
- rhetoricnoun
- The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
- Tangibleadjective
- Perceptible by the sense of touch or capable of being physically grasped and measured in concrete physical reality. It distinguishes concrete material products from virtual or intellectual entities.
- Holisticadjective
- Characterized by the comprehension of parts as intimately interconnected and explicable only in reference to the whole.
- Abyssnoun
- A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
- Agapenoun
- A selfless, unconditional, and altruistic form of love often associated in theology with divine charity.
- Ambiguitynoun
- The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness or uncertainty of meaning.
Also from these editions: terms
- Affectnoun
- An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
- Biomenoun
- A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat defined by climate and soil.
- Cognitionnoun
- The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
- Epistemologicaladjective
- Relating to epistemology, the theory of knowledge, its methods, validity, and scope.
- Ontologynoun
- The branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being, reality, and what kinds of entities can be said to exist.
- Permeabilitynoun
- The state or quality of being permeable, allowing liquids, gases, or symbolic influences to pass through.
- Phenomenologynoun
- The philosophical approach that concentrates on the study of conscious experience and appearances as experienced from the first-person point of view.
- Reciprocitynoun
- The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit; mutual dependence or action and reaction between entities.
- Reductionismnoun
- The practice of analyzing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of its simple or fundamental constituents.
- Somaticadjective
- Relating to the physical body, especially as distinct from the mind, psyche, or purely intellectual faculties.
- Venomousadjective
- Capable of injecting venom through a bite or sting; highly toxic or characterized by malice.
Also from these editions: concepts
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- Affective EpistemologyAffective epistemology is the philosophical perspective asserting that emotional resonance, bodily affection, and visceral feeling precede and enable rational…
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- Cartesian RationalismCartesian rationalism is the epistemological and metaphysical system founded by René Descartes that establishes the thinking ego as the primary certainty of existence. It…
- Methodological ReductionismMethodological reductionism is a scientific research strategy that investigates complex phenomena by dividing them into their smallest constituent parts and examining…
- Mind-Body ReciprocityMind-body reciprocity is the psychological and physiological principle of continuous, bidirectional causation between subjective mental states and somatic biology. It…
- Ontological RelationalityOntological relationality is the metaphysical doctrine asserting that entities, organisms, and observers do not exist as isolated, self-contained essences, but are…
- Phenomenological ShockPhenomenological shock is an immediate, pre-reflective sensory and emotional rupture that completely destabilizes an observer's conventional horizon of expectation. It…
- Principle of PermeabilityThe principle of permeability is an ontological and epistemological framework stating that conscious reality begins when an entity possesses the capacity to be affected…