Meaning & use
inferential
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Based on or involving inference, meaning conclusions drawn from evidence and reasoning rather than direct observation.
See it in a sentence
The report's inferential leap from correlation to causation drew criticism from other scientists.
Inferential statistics allow researchers to make predictions about a population from a sample.
A note on using this word
Frequently paired with "statistics" in academic writing, contrasted with "descriptive statistics," which simply summarize data.
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