noun
implication
Involvement in a situation, especially wrongdoing.
The investigation reveals his implication in a major fraud scheme.
Etymology
The Latin verb pictures folding something in. Implication places a person within the entanglement of a situation, especially when that connection suggests responsibility for wrongdoing.
More examples
- She denies any implication in the theft.
- Evidence of the manager's implication in the cover-up keeps mounting.
- His implication in the scandal costs him his job.
Forms
implication
implicate verb — To connect someone with wrongdoing or misconduct.
Similar words
- involvement
- Involvement is broader and does not itself suggest wrongdoing.
- complicity
- Complicity more strongly implies knowing participation in a wrongful act.