Surmise - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Surmise means to form an opinion or guess about something without having complete evidence. It is often based on limited information or intuition rather than facts.
Definition:
To infer or guess something without firm evidence.
Synonyms:
deduce, infer, conjecture, speculate
Part of Speech:
verb, noun
Antonyms:
know, confirm
Common Collocations:
make a surmise, based on surmise, wild surmise
Derivatives:
surmiser, surmisingly
Usage Tips:
Use "surmise" when making an educated guess based on incomplete information; avoid overconfidence in conclusions.
Common Phrases:
leap to a surmise, hazard a surmise, mere surmise
Etymology:
From Old French "surmettre," meaning to accuse, later evolving to mean infer or suppose in English.
Examples:
- 1. She could only surmise his intentions from his vague message.
- 2. The detective’s quick surmise led to the suspect’s arrest.
- 3. Without proof, her theory remained a mere surmise.
- 4. He didn’t say why he left, but I can surmise the reason.