speculation

American  

[spek-yuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌspɛk jəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• speculations
  plural

1. the contemplation or consideration of some subject.

   to engage in speculation on humanity's ultimate destiny.

2. a single instance or process of consideration.

3. a conclusion or opinion reached by such contemplation.

   These speculations are impossible to verify.

   Synonyms:

   hypothesis, theory, view, supposition

4. conjectural consideration of a matter; conjecture or surmise.

   a report based on speculation rather than facts.

5. engagement in business transactions involving considerable risk but offering the chance of large gains, especially trading in commodities, stocks, etc., in the hope of profit from changes in the market price.

6. a speculative commercial venture or undertaking.

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speculation British  

/ ˌspɛkjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of speculating

2. a supposition, theory, or opinion arrived at through speculating

3. investment involving high risk but also the possibility of high profits

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antispeculation
  noun
• nonspeculation
  noun
• overspeculation
  noun
• prespeculation
  noun
• semispeculation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• speculations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of speculation

1325–75; Middle English speculacioun < Late Latin speculātiōn- (stem of speculātiō ) exploration, observation. See speculate, -ion

Explanation

When you guess about how something is going to come out (or how it happened), that's speculation. You're making an educated guess. When people predict who will win a football game, an Oscar, or an election, it's speculation: people are looking at the facts and making their best guess. Just about anything you say about the future is speculation, because no one knows what will happen. The word is used in the stock market for such financial dealings as "buying on spec," a risky way to make money. Sometimes, this word means something close to meditation — pondering something deeply.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

speculation speculations

"This is not the time for speculation about the circumstances of the accident. The incident is being investigated by the GNR Command, which is responsible for rigorously establishing the facts," the Volta added.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

There had been some speculation that Takaichi, a regular visitor before becoming prime minister in October, might attend the shrine like then-premier Shinzo Abe, her mentor, had done in 2013.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Since at least last year, there has been speculation that Reddit could join the S&P 500 Index.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

That kind of cars-and-rockets tie-up—the subject of widespread speculation among investors, and hinted at by Musk himself—would likely give him the tighter control he has long sought at Tesla.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

That news, which broke in January 1939, launched physicists upon flights of learned speculation about the enormous energy released when the uranium nucleus split following its absorption of a stray neutron.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

In a statement, Mr. Lynch dismissed the speculations of the intelligence firms and said their alleged actions are “disturbing” and “cross all lines of acceptable conduct.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

"For decades there has been speculations and different theories to explain these remarkable properties and one theory has been the existence of a critical point. Now we have found that such a point exists."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026

The quickened pace of U.S. airstrikes in the region and the unusually large buildup of military force in the Caribbean Sea have fueled those speculations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

These speculations have spooked some tourists, with several media reporting a flurry of trip cancellations.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025

She talked on and on while Milkman sat back and listened to gossip, stories, legends, speculations.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• belief
• conjecture
• opinion
• thought