implied
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.suggested or understood without being said directly.
adj.suggested or signaled without being explicitly articulated; often used to describe meanings, threats, or agreements.
Simple“There was an implied threat in his voice, even though he spoke politely.”
In context“The contract contains an implied warranty that the goods will be fit for their intended purpose, even if not explicitly written in the text.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.suggested something was true without saying it clearly.
v.the past tense of imply, meaning to indicate or suggest something without stating it directly.
Simple“The report implied that the company was in serious financial trouble.”
In context“The researcher implied that the initial data might have been compromised, though she stopped short of accusing her colleagues of negligence.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb that often takes a 'that' clause as its object.
PitfallI implied from her letter that she was unhappy. I inferred from her letter that she was unhappy.The speaker 'implies' (gives a hint), but the listener 'infers' (guesses the meaning).
“When his mother was robbed by local “thugs”, he went looking for them; although the story is left unfinished, it is implied that he carried out some serious physical damage.”