conjecture
Americannoun
-
the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof.
-
an opinion or theory so formed or expressed; guess; speculation.
- Synonyms:
- hypothesis, theory, supposition, inference, surmise
-
Obsolete. the interpretation of signs or omens.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence; guess
-
the inference or conclusion so formed
-
obsolete interpretation of occult signs
verb
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
In its lawsuit, ExxonMobil said the law would force it “to engage in granular conjecture about unknowable future developments and to publicly disseminate that speculation on its website.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025
This mechanism of speciation was not just conjecture; Dobzhansky could demonstrate it experimentally.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
