Standard Lemma guide

implication

noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P L AH0 K EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of implicating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The state of being implicated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A possible, or indirect, effect or result of a decision or action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • Dumping waste in the river will have serious implications for the environment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An implying, or that which is implied, but not expressed; an inference, or something which may fairly be understood, though not expressed in words.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The connective in propositional calculus that, when joining two predicates A and B in that order, has the meaning "if A is true, then B is true".

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: human-sciences, logic, mathematics, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Logical consequence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

something that is inferred (deduced or entailed or implied)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his resignation had political implications

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deduction, entailment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inference, illation

8

noun

Meaning 8

a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the significance of his remark became clear only later
  • the expectation was spread both by word and by implication

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: significance, import

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: meaning, substance

9

noun

Meaning 9

an accusation that brings into intimate and usually incriminating connection

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: accusation, accusal

Narrower terms: unspoken accusation, veiled accusation, insinuation, innuendo

10

noun

Meaning 10

a relation implicated by virtue of involvement or close connection (especially an incriminating involvement)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was suspected of implication in several robberies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: involvement

11

noun

Meaning 11

a logical relation between propositions p and q of the form `if p then q'; if p is true then q cannot be false

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: logical implication, conditional relation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: logical relation

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin implicō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin implicātiōnemder. Middle French implicationder. English implication From Middle French implication, from Latin implicationem (accusative of implicatio). Equivalent to implicate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: gevolg — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Afrikaans: uitwerking — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Esperanto: implicaĵo — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • German: Auswirkung — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • German: Folge — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • German: Tragweite — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • German: Bedeutung — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Italian: implicazione — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Italian: risvolto — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Swedish: följd — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Swedish: konsekvens — possible effect or result of a decision or action
  • Afrikaans: implikasie — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Bulgarian: подтекст (podtekst) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Dutch: implicatie — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • German: Andeutung — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Greek: υπονοούμενο (yponooúmeno) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Greek: υποκείμενο συμπέρασμα (ypokeímeno sympérasma) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Greek: υποκείμενη συνέπεια (ypokeímeni synépeia) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Irish: impleacht — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Italian: implicazione — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Malay: implikasi — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Russian: намёк (namjók) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Serbo-Croatian: implikacija — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Serbo-Croatian: dublji smisao — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Serbo-Croatian: dublje značenje — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Spanish: precesión — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Spanish: reticencia — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Spanish: aposiopesis — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Turkish: bulaştırma — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Turkish: ima — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Turkish: dolaylı anlatım — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Ukrainian: підте́кст (pidtékst) — that which is implied, but not expressed
  • Arabic: تَلَازُم (talāzum) — logical connective
  • Chinese Mandarin: 含意 (hányì) — logical connective
  • Chinese Mandarin: 意味 (yìwèi) — logical connective
  • Chinese Mandarin: 含義 /含义 (hányì) — logical connective
  • Chinese Mandarin: 涵義 /涵义 (hányì) — logical connective
  • Czech: implikace — logical connective
  • Esperanto: implikacio — logical connective
  • Finnish: implikaatio — logical connective
  • German: Folge — logical connective
  • German: Schlussfolgerung — logical connective
  • Hungarian: implikáció — logical connective
  • Indonesian: implikasi — logical connective
  • Italian: connessione — logical connective
  • Japanese: 含意 (gan'i) — logical connective
  • Macedonian: импликација (implikacija) — logical connective
  • Macedonian: следство (sledstvo) — logical connective
  • Malay: implikasi — logical connective
  • Russian: имплика́ция (implikácija) — logical connective
  • Serbo-Croatian: implikacija — logical connective
  • Turkish: akıl yürütme — logical connective
  • Turkish: gerektirme — logical connective
  • Turkish: istidlal — logical connective
  • Ukrainian: імпліка́ція (implikácija) — logical connective
  • Afrikaans: gevolg — logical consequence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蘊涵 /蕴涵 (yùnhán) — logical consequence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蘊含 /蕴含 (yùnhán) — logical consequence
  • French: implication — logical consequence
  • German: Folge — logical consequence
  • Italian: implicazione — logical consequence
  • Italian: conseguenza — logical consequence
  • Māori: hīraunga — logical consequence
  • Persian: پیامد (peyâmad) — logical consequence
  • Portuguese: implicação — logical consequence
  • Spanish: implicación — logical consequence
Real reading context

implication in complete knowledge articles