conjecture

American  

[kuhn-jek-cher] / kənˈdʒɛk tʃər /

noun

1. the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof.

2. an opinion or theory so formed or expressed; guess; speculation.

   Synonyms:

   hypothesis, theory, supposition, inference, surmise

3. Obsolete. the interpretation of signs or omens.

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verb (used with object)

conjectured, conjecturing

1. to conclude or suppose from grounds or evidence insufficient to ensure reliability.

   Synonyms:

   presume, suppose, surmise

verb (used without object)

conjectured, conjecturing

1. to form conjectures.

conjecture British  

/ kənˈdʒɛktʃə /

noun

1. the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence; guess

2. the inference or conclusion so formed

3. obsolete interpretation of occult signs

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verb

1. to infer or arrive at (an opinion, conclusion, etc) from incomplete evidence

Related Words

See guess.

Other Word Forms

• conjecturable adjective
• conjecturably adverb
• conjecturer noun
• misconjecture verb
• nonconjecturable adjective
• nonconjecturably adverb
• preconjecture verb (used with object)
• unconjecturable adjective
• unconjectured adjective

Etymology

Origin of conjecture

First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin conjectūra “inference, reasoning,” from conject(us) “thrown together” (past participle of conicere, conjicere “to throw together, form a conclusion,” from con- con- + -icere, -jicere, combining form of jacere “to throw”) + -ūra -ure; (for the verb) late Middle English conjecturen, from Middle French, from Late Latin conjecturāre, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

All the confident conjecture aside, no one really knows how the revolution in artificial intelligence will play out in the coming decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

His defence team countered that Duterte had murdered no one and that the prosecution's argument was based on "hearsay" and "conjecture", falling far short of the bar needed to confirm the charges against him.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Strange Brew added that it was "not in line with our values to exclude Oi Va Voi and Zohara from performing on the basis of conjecture by another group about their views".

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

“This is reckless and irresponsible conjecture without any fact-checking done prior to publication,” the network shared.

From Salon • Oct. 27, 2025

What happened next is a twisted braid of mixed signals, distrust, miscommunication, and conjecture.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• guesswork
• hunch
• hypothesis
• inference
• supposition