Synonyms for surmise
- verb
- noun
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Guess — to imagine or suspect; to conjecture; to posit with contestable premises
guess US, conjecture, suspect, presume, suppose, imagine, speculate, assume, believe, infer, think, hypothesize UK US, hypothesise UK, hypothetise UK, theorize, theorise UK, pre-suppose, dare say, postulate, opine, reckon, fancy, take for granted, divine, posit
Noun
1. Supposition — thought, imagination, or conjecture, which may be based upon feeble or scanty evidence; suspicion; guess
supposition, speculation, hypothesis, suspicion, wild guess, hunch, assumption, inference, postulation, presumption, theory, surmisal
Definitions
- v. 1
To imagine or suspect; to conjecture; to posit with contestable premises.
If, as I surmise, you see the ladies this evening, you might mention my intended visit.
- n. 1
Thought, imagination, or conjecture, which may be based upon feeble or scanty evidence; suspicion; guess.
surmises of jealousy or of envy
Example sentences
- suppose I suppose we're a little too indulgent to the dog.
- suspect Doctors suspect smoking has lot to do with cancer.
- presume Don't presume to tell me how to raise my children!
- conjecture In any case, you are wrong in your conjecture.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| surmise | steady | |
| suppose | rising | |
| suspect | rising | |
| presume | steady | |
| conjecture | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- think1, guess1, fancy2, infer2, hunch1, posit2, opine2
- 6 letters
- theory2, assume2, divine2, reckon2
- 7 letters
- believe2, imagine3, suppose2, suspect2, presume2
- 8 letters
- theorize3, theorise, surmisal
- 9 letters
- suspicion3, speculate3, inference3, postulate3
- 10 letters
- assumption3, hypothesis4, conjecture3
- 11 letters
- speculation4, presumption3, supposition4, hypothesize4, postulation, hypothesise, hypothetise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fancy2 = 2 syllables).