INDICATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does indication mean? 

• INDICATION (noun)
  The noun INDICATION has 5 senses:

1. something that serves to indicate or suggest

2. the act of indicating or pointing out by name

3. (medicine) a reason to prescribe a drug or perform a procedure

4. something (as a course of action) that is indicated as expedient or necessary

5. a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument

  Familiarity information: INDICATION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INDICATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something that serves to indicate or suggest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

indicant; indication

Context example:

symptoms are the prime indicants of disease

Hypernyms ("indication" is a kind of...):

communication (something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "indication"):

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)

Derivation:

indicate (give evidence of)

indicate (be a signal for or a symptom of)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of indicating or pointing out by name

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

denotation; indication

Hypernyms ("indication" is a kind of...):

naming (the verbal act of naming)

Derivation:

indicate (indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(medicine) a reason to prescribe a drug or perform a procedure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

the presence of bacterial infection was an indication for the use of antibiotics

Hypernyms ("indication" is a kind of...):

reason (a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion)

Domain category:

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Antonym:

contraindication ((medicine) a reason that makes it inadvisable to prescribe a particular drug or employ a particular procedure or treatment)

Derivation:

indicate (be a signal for or a symptom of)

indicate (suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something (as a course of action) that is indicated as expedient or necessary

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

there were indications that it was time to leave

Hypernyms ("indication" is a kind of...):

advice (a proposal for an appropriate course of action)

Derivation:

indicate (give evidence of)

indicate (suggest the necessity of an intervention; in medicine)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

indication; meter reading; reading

Context example:

the barometer gave clear indications of an approaching storm

Hypernyms ("indication" is a kind of...):

data point; datum (an item of factual information derived from measurement or research)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "indication"):

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)

Derivation:

indicate (give evidence of)

 Context examples 

NAFLD is a leading indication for liver transplantation.

(NIH study sheds light on immune responses driving obesity-induced liver disease, National Institutes of Health)

"This is the first time we've found a clear indication from the transition zone deep in the Earth's mantle that volcanoes can form this way."

(Scientists discover a new way volcanoes form, NSF)

An indication or description that a medical history event was previously determined, characterized, or detailed.

(Medical History Pre-specified, NCI Thesaurus)

An indication of whether a medical history has been taken.

(Medical History Yes No Indicator, NCI Thesaurus)

An indication or description that an event or occurrence in an individual's medical history is continuing.

(Medical History Ongoing, NCI Thesaurus)

An indication or description that a medical history has been taken.

(Medical History Occurrence, NCI Thesaurus)

An indication or description of a change in medical history.

(Medical History Modified Reported Term, NCI Thesaurus)

Although it had been suspected to contribute to the development of some cancers, this was the first indication of a role in the response to T cells.

(A new study identifies essential genes for cancer immunotherapy, National Institutes of Health)

We found a consistent reduction in risk across many different diseases, which is a strong indication that there is a real underlying relationship between nut consumption and different health outcomes.

(Daily Handful of Nuts Reduces Disease Risk, VOA)

Overall, there was little indication of health problems in mice related to RFR.

(High exposure to radiofrequency radiation linked to tumor activity in male rats, National Institutes of Health)