indication

noun

in·​di·​ca·​tion ˌin-də-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce indication (audio)
Synonyms of indication
1
a
: something that serves to indicate
an indication of a recovering economy
gave no indication of her anger
Asthma and COPD are indications for bronchodilator use.
b
: something that is indicated as advisable or necessary
a drug approved for several cardiovascular indications
2
: the action of indicating
indicational
ˌin-də-ˈkā-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce indication (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of indication

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of indication in a Sentence

Her evaluation will give me a good indication of where I stand in the class. There were indications that he was thinking of changing jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There was no indication that one nationwide outbreak was responsible for all the cases. — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 July 2026 The comments offer one of the clearest public indications yet of how the administration views the next phase of the conflict. — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2026 Law enforcement also found indications of a fighting pit in the garage, according to court documents. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026 The other striking thing is that some of the events occurred without an obvious indication of tectonic signals picked up by the hydrophones present. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for indication

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of indication was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing indication

Rhymes for indication

See All Rhymes for indication

Browse Nearby Words

indicated horsepower
indication
indicative
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Indication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indication. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

indication

noun
in·​di·​ca·​tion ˌin-də-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce indication (audio)
1
: the action of indicating
2
: something that indicates : sign, suggestion

Medical Definition

indication

noun
in·​di·​ca·​tion ˌin-də-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce indication (audio)
1
a
: a symptom or particular circumstance that indicates the advisability or necessity of a specific medical treatment or procedure
postpartum hemorrhage is the chief indication for the use of ergot preparations and derivatives—C. H. Thienes
b
: something that is indicated as advisable or necessary
in case of collapse the immediate indication is artificial respiration—The Journal of the American Medical Association
2
: the degree indicated in a specific instance or at a specific time on a graduated physical instrument (as a thermometer)

More from Merriam-Webster on indication

Nglish: Translation of indication for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All