implication

[ im-pli-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood:

   to resent an implication of dishonesty.

2. the act of implying:

   His implication of immediate changes surprised us.

3. the state of being implied:

   to know only by implication.

4. Logic. the relation that holds between two propositions, or classes of propositions, in virtue of which one is logically deducible from the other.
5. the act of implicating or indicating that one or more persons may be involved, as in a crime:

   The implication of his accomplices came only after hours of grueling questioning by the police.

6. the state of being implicated:

   We recently heard of his implication in a conspiracy.

7. Usually implications. relationships of a close or intimate nature; involvements:

   the religious implications of ancient astrology.

   Synonyms: connection

implication

/ ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of implicating or the state of being implicated
2. something that is implied; suggestion

   the implication of your silence is that you're bored

3. logic
   1. the operator that forms a sentence from two given sentences and corresponds to the English if … then …
   2. a sentence so formed. Usually written p→q or p⊃q, where p,q are the component sentences, it is true except when p (the antecedent) is true and q (the consequent) is false
   3. the relation between such sentences

Derived Forms

• ˌimpliˈcational, adjective

Other Words From

• impli·cation·al adjective
• nonim·pli·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of implication¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English implicacio(u)n, from Latin implicātiōn-, stem of implicātiō “an interweaving,” equivalent to implicāt(us) “interwoven” ( implicate ) + -ion

Example Sentences

At the start of this year, spending on new NHS buildings was halted - that has implications for waiting lists because work on national treatment centres has stalled.

From BBC

Through long-term monitoring in one of the most pristine places in Africa, the study's implications are significant.

From Science Daily

The researchers also examined if there's a point at which eating more plant protein stops having added benefits or could even have negative implications.

From Science Daily

He said this has vast implications for everyday electronics, explaining how information encoded in an electron's properties could be transferred without loss, conceivably resulting in lower-power, highly efficient transistors.

From Science Daily

The results, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, have implications for understanding Earth's uniqueness, and for the search for life on planets outside our Solar System.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• conclusion
• connotation
• indication
• meaning
• overtone
• ramification
• significance