Implication
/ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən/
An implication is a conclusion or consequence that follows from something else, a suggestion without direct statement, or involvement in a questionable act.
Examples
- The data suggests an implication for future policy decisions.
- The letter had an implication that he knew more than he said.
- He objected to the implication that he was lying.
- The implication was clear, though nothing was said.
- Her tone carried an implication of doubt.
Meanings
From Latin implicatio, from implicare meaning 'to entangle, involve', from in- 'into' + plicare 'to fold'. Originally referred to entanglement, later evolved in logic to mean something folded into a statement.
Examples
- The data suggests an implication for future policy decisions.
- She denied any implication in the scandal.
- The study's implications are far-reaching.
- There were serious implications for his actions.
- He avoided mentioning the broader implications of the discovery.
Extension of the logical sense. By the 1640s, 'implication' began to mean involvement in a deed, especially a crime, as if 'entangled' in it.
Examples
- There was no implication of the CEO in the fraud case.
- His name carried an implication of corruption.
- The report found no direct implication.
- Police found evidence pointing to her implication.
- They cleared him of any implication.
Derived from the verb 'imply'. As 'imply' took on the sense of suggesting without stating, 'implication' followed in meaning.
Examples
- Her tone carried an implication of doubt.
- The letter had an implication that he knew more than he said.
- He objected to the implication that he was lying.
- There was a negative implication in his comment.
- The implication was clear, though nothing was said.