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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.

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

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026

For the past few months, investors and policymakers have had to rely on guesswork to determine the path of inflation.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

The one great thing about death is that it takes the guesswork out of all of this, or at least it’s supposed to.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

The work is personal for Chan, who recalls craving more precise treatments for serious pediatric illnesses rather than the educated guesswork she often encountered as a physician.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

We’re pretty sure he was male; everything else is guesswork.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

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.