indication

An indication is a sign––it indicates, or suggests, some conclusion. The way you blush furiously when a certain someone talks to you is an indication that you have a crush on them.

An indication is like a clue, or a suggestion, but it's not proof. If someone is weaving all over the place when they walk, that could be an indication that they’re drunk. But then again, it could indicate an inner-ear infection that has ruined their balance. The verb, indicate, literally means to point out, by using your index finger. But indications don’t require actual fingers pointing to a cause.

Definitions of indication
  1. noun
    the act of indicating or pointing out by name
    synonyms: denotation
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    type of:
    naming
    the verbal act of naming
  2. noun
    something that serves to indicate or suggest
    “an indication of foul play”
    “indications of strain”
    synonyms: indicant
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    types:
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    gesture
    something done as an indication of intention
    evidence
    an indication that makes something evident
    shadow, tincture, trace, vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    symptom
    anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence
    signalisation, signalization
    a conspicuous indication
    pointing out
    indication by demonstration
    manifestation
    a manifest indication of the existence or presence or nature of some person or thing
    mark, print
    a visible indication made on a surface
    glimpse
    a vague indication
    forerunner, harbinger, herald, precursor, predecessor
    something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
    clue, hint
    a slight indication
    smoke
    an indication of some hidden activity
    beau geste
    a gracious (but usually meaningless) gesture
    smoking gun
    indisputable evidence (especially of a crime)
    clew, clue, cue
    evidence that helps to solve a problem
    fingerprint
    a print made by an impression of the ridges in the skin of a finger; often used for biometric identification in criminal investigations
    footmark, footprint, step
    a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
    footprint evidence
    evidence in the form of footprints
    footprint
    a trace suggesting that something was once present or felt or otherwise important
    trace
    a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle
    record
    anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
    testimonial, testimony
    something that serves as evidence
    argument, statement
    a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
    attestation
    the evidence by which something is attested
    mintmark
    a mark on a coin that identifies the mint where it was produced
    stroke
    a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush
    hoof mark, hoof-mark, hoofprint
    a visible impression on a surface made by the hoof of an animal
    line
    a mark that is long relative to its width
    identification
    evidence of identity; something that identifies a person or thing
    line
    in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area
    bellwether
    a predictor of indicator of future trends
    type of:
    communication
    something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups
  3. noun
    (medicine) a reason to prescribe a drug or perform a procedure
    “the presence of bacterial infection was an indication for the use of antibiotics”
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    Antonyms:
    contraindication
    (medicine) a reason that makes it inadvisable to prescribe a particular drug or employ a particular procedure or treatment
    type of:
    reason
    a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion
  4. noun
    something (as a course of action) that is indicated as expedient or necessary
    “there were indications that it was time to leave”
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    type of:
    advice
    a proposal for an appropriate course of action
  5. noun
    a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument
    “the barometer gave clear indications of an approaching storm”
    synonyms: meter reading, reading
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    types:
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    clock time, time
    a reading of a point in time as given by a clock
    miles per hour, mph
    a speedometer reading for the momentary rate of travel
    SCLK, spacecraft clock time
    the clock time given by a clock carried on board a spacecraft
    prime time
    the hours between 7 and 11 p.m. when the largest tv audience is available
    hour, time of day
    clock time
    type of:
    data point, datum
    an item of factual information derived from measurement or research
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