Word: implication (noun)

Associations

"Implication" means a possible result or effect of an action or decision. It can also mean something suggested or hinted at without being directly said.

• When you decide to skip school, the implication might be that you miss important lessons. Here, "implication" is the result of your action.
• If someone says, "He is always late," the implication might be that he is irresponsible. Here, it is what is suggested but not directly stated.
• In science, the implication of a new discovery can change how we understand the world.

A similar word is "consequence," but "consequence" usually means a direct result, often negative. "Implication" can be broader and includes suggestions or indirect effects.

Substitution

You can replace "implication" with:

• consequence – when you mean a direct result, usually negative.
• suggestion – when you mean something hinted at.
• effect – when you mean the outcome of something.

Each word changes the meaning slightly. For example, "consequence" is more about what happens after an action, while "implication" can be about what is suggested or the possible effects.

Deconstruction

The word "implication" comes from the Latin "implicare," meaning "to entwine or involve." The prefix "im-" means "in" or "into," and the root "plicare" means "to fold." So, "implication" originally meant something folded into or involved in something else, which connects to its meaning of something suggested or involved indirectly.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where an action you took had an implication you did not expect?
• How might the implications of a decision affect different people in different ways?
• Have you ever understood an implication in a conversation without it being said directly? What was it?