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Synonyms

guesswork

American  
[ges-wurk] / ˈgɛsˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. work or procedure based on or consisting of the making of guesses or conjectures.


guesswork British  
/ ˈɡɛsˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. a set of conclusions, estimates, etc, arrived at by guessing

  2. the process of making guesses

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of guesswork

First recorded in 1715–25; guess + work

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.

See Examples For:

We see this secretive man from many angles, to the extent he allows—Mr. Worthen makes clear where the holes exist and where reasonable guesswork may lead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

That has Wall Street nervous about potential rate volatility, particularly if the Fed suddenly says less than it has been over the past 30 years — or leaves markets doing more guesswork.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

"After 160 years of getting it wrong, this paper corrects this very important feature based not on guesswork, but on empirical evidence."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

Intelligence analysts don’t have to rely so much on guesswork.

From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2026

The pictures would provide the answer, she reasoned; there was no need for guesswork.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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