conjectural
Americanadjective
-
of, of the nature of, or involving conjecture; problematical.
Theories about the extinction of dinosaurs are highly conjectural.
- Synonyms:
- doubtful, theoretical, speculative
-
given to making conjectures.
a conjectural thinker.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- conjecturally adverb
- unconjectural adjective
Etymology
Origin of conjectural
1545–55; < Latin conjectūrālis, equivalent to conjectūr ( a ) conjecture + -ālis -al 1
Vocabulary lists containing conjectural
"To Build a Fire," Vocabulary from the short story
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's a conjectural but plausible evolutionary theory - one that can't be proven, but makes sense," says Anoop Misra, who heads Delhi's Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025
The court sided with the officers, saying that the township failed to demonstrate “real, not conjectural, harm” by using the flag and that the ban “addresses that harm in a direct and material way.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2023
I find it bizarre to suggest that the plaintiffs have a “close relationship” with this totally conjectural class of patients.
From Slate • Apr. 12, 2023
Although these hazards are so far entirely conjectural, they are undoubtedly driving a growing community of researchers to study various harm-reduction tactics.
From Scientific American • Apr. 4, 2023
But all claims about what had gone on behind the scenes are conjectural.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
